Linux bc Guide

Complete beginner-friendly guide to bc on Linux, covering Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other distributions including calculator operations, mathematical calculations, and precision arithmetic.

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Table of Contents

1. bc Installation
2. bc Basics
3. Interactive Mode
4. Script Mode
5. Troubleshooting

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bc Installation

Install bc

Arch/CachyOS:

# Install bc
sudo pacman -S bc

Debian/Ubuntu:

sudo apt install bc

Fedora:

sudo dnf install bc

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bc Basics

Simple Calculation

Basic usage:

# Calculate
echo "5 + 3" | bc

# Output: 8

Multiple Operations

Chain operations:

# Multiple operations
echo "5 + 3 * 2" | bc

# Output: 11 (follows order of operations)

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Interactive Mode

Start Calculator

Interactive:

# Start bc
bc

# Then type calculations:
# 5 + 3
# 10 * 2
# quit

Scale (Decimal Places)

Set precision:

# In bc:
# scale=2
# 10 / 3
# Output: 3.33

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Script Mode

From File

Calculate from file:

# Create script
echo "5 + 3" > calc.txt
echo "10 * 2" >> calc.txt

# Run script
bc calc.txt

Inline Calculation

One-liner:

# Inline calculation
bc <<< "5 + 3"

# Output: 8

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Troubleshooting

bc Not Found

Check installation:

# Check bc
which bc

# Install if missing
sudo pacman -S bc

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Summary

This guide covered bc usage, calculator operations, and mathematical calculations for Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other distributions.

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Next Steps

• expr Guide - Expression evaluation
• Bash Scripting Guide - Scripting basics
• bc Documentation: man bc

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This guide covers Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other Linux distributions. For distribution-specific details, refer to your distribution's documentation.