Enter your current state and available buttons to find the winning sequence.
Solution Found!
How to Win Calculator Games
Calculator games are a popular genre of logic puzzles where players must transform a starting number into a specific target number using a limited set of operations and a fixed number of moves. Unlike a standard calculator, these games challenge your reverse-engineering skills and mathematical logic.
Key Strategies for Success
Work Backwards: If your target is 100 and you have a "*2" button, consider if 50 was a viable previous step.
Identify Bottlenecks: If you have limited moves, look for operations that change the number significantly, like multiplication or large additions.
Track Patterns: Many levels use recurring sequences. If "+3" and "-1" are available, you effectively have a "+2" button that costs two moves.
This solver uses a Breadth-First Search (BFS) algorithm to explore every possible combination of your button presses. It prioritizes the shortest path to the goal. If a solution exists within your "Max Moves" limit, it will display the exact sequence of buttons to press.
Common Operations Used:
Addition/Subtraction: Used for fine-tuning the final digits.
Multiplication/Division: Used for rapid scaling toward the target.
Reverse/Negative: Advanced calculator games include "Reverse" (12 becomes 21) or sign flipping (+5 becomes -5).
function solveCalculatorGame() {
var start = parseFloat(document.getElementById('startValue').value);
var goal = parseFloat(document.getElementById('goalValue').value);
var maxMoves = parseInt(document.getElementById('maxMoves').value);
var ops = [
document.getElementById('op1').value.trim(),
document.getElementById('op2').value.trim(),
document.getElementById('op3').value.trim()
].filter(function(el) { return el !== ""; });
var resultDiv = document.getElementById('gameResult');
var resultPath = document.getElementById('resultPath');
var resultStatus = document.getElementById('resultStatus');
if (isNaN(start) || isNaN(goal) || isNaN(maxMoves)) {
alert("Please enter valid numbers for start, goal, and moves.");
return;
}
// BFS Queue: [currentValue, pathArray]
var queue = [[start, []]];
var found = false;
var finalPath = [];
// Simple validation for operations
function applyOp(val, opStr) {
var num = parseFloat(opStr.substring(1));
var action = opStr.charAt(0);
if (isNaN(num)) return val;
if (action === '+') return val + num;
if (action === '-') return val – num;
if (action === '*') return val * num;
if (action === '/') return num !== 0 ? val / num : val;
return val;
}
// BFS search
var visited = new Set();
while (queue.length > 0) {
var current = queue.shift();
var currentVal = current[0];
var path = current[1];
if (currentVal === goal) {
finalPath = path;
found = true;
break;
}
if (path.length < maxMoves) {
for (var i = 0; i < ops.length; i++) {
var nextVal = applyOp(currentVal, ops[i]);
var nextPath = path.concat(ops[i] + " (" + nextVal + ")");
// State tracking to prevent infinite loops (value + depth)
var stateKey = nextVal + "_" + nextPath.length;
if (!visited.has(stateKey)) {
visited.add(stateKey);
queue.push([nextVal, nextPath]);
}
}
}
}
resultDiv.style.display = "block";
if (found) {
resultStatus.innerText = "Solution Found in " + finalPath.length + " moves!";
resultStatus.style.color = "#27ae60";
var html = "Start: " + start + "";
for (var j = 0; j < finalPath.length; j++) {
html += "" + finalPath[j] + "";
if (j < finalPath.length – 1) html += " → ";
}
resultPath.innerHTML = html;
} else {
resultStatus.innerText = "No Solution Found!";
resultStatus.style.color = "#e74c3c";
resultPath.innerHTML = "Try increasing Max Moves or checking your operation inputs (format: +5, *2, etc).";
}
}