Nguyen Cong Hoang

Calculator and conversions

Type a sum, a unit, a temperature, a data size, an amount of money or a hexadecimal number. The answer appears on a card at the top of the results, and ↵ copies it.

Lightspot guide
  1. Overview
  2. Install, update and uninstall
  3. Searching and the app grid
  4. Calculator and conversions
  5. Developer tools
  6. Terminal history and projects
  7. Custom commands, web search and snippets
  8. Browser, clipboard and system
  9. Turning off Apple Spotlight
  10. Menu bar and settings
  11. Privacy
  12. How Lightspot works

Math

Type an expression and the result appears on an orange card, with the expression underneath. Press ↵ to copy the result and close Lightspot.

Lightspot showing 112 for (25 * 4) + sqrt(144), with a Copy button
You can useWritten as
Add, subtract+ - −
Multiply, divide* × / ÷
Power (right to left: 2^3^2 is 512)^ **
Remainder%
Grouping( )
Functions (brackets required; angles in radians)sqrt() abs() sin() cos() tan() log() (base 10) ln()
Constantspi π e
Thousands separators1,000 * 3

Multiplication signs can be left out next to brackets, constants and functions: 2pi, 2(3+4) and (1+2)(3+4) all work. A trailing = is ignored, so 2+2= is fine.

TypeResult
2^1665,536
log(1000)3
sin(pi/2)1
2pi6.2831853072
1/30.3333333333
10 % 31
e^27.3890560989

Results have up to ten decimal places and use your Mac’s number format (Region settings). A single number on its own, a division by zero, sqrt of a negative number and any word Lightspot does not know produce no card, so ordinary searches are not hijacked. The % sign is a remainder, not a percentage: 20% of 50 is not understood.

Units

Write a number, a unit, and optionally in or to and the unit you want. The space between number and unit is optional. Without a target, Lightspot picks the usual one.

Lightspot converting 100km in mi to 62.1371 mi
KindUnitsDefault targetExample
Lengthkm, m, cm, mm, mi, yd, ft, in (and kilometer(s), meter(s), mile(s), yard(s), foot/feet, inch(es)…)km→mi, m→ft, cm→in, mm→in, mi→km, yd→m, ft→cm, in→cm100km in mi → 62.1371 mi
Weightkg, kgs, g, mg, lb, lbs, oz, st (and kilogram(s), gram(s), pound(s), ounce(s), stone…)kg→lbs, g→oz, mg→g, lb→kg, oz→g, st→kg10 kg → 22.0462 lbs
Temperaturef, c, k (and fahrenheit, celsius, kelvin); a ° sign is ignoredF→C and K, C→F and K, K→C and F72F in C → 22.2222°C
Data sizetb, gb, mb, kb, b (and terabyte(s), gigabyte(s)…, byte(s)), in steps of 1024tb→gb, gb→mb, mb→gb, kb→mb, b→kb16GB in MB → 16,384 MB
Speedkmh, kph, km/h, mph, mi/h, m/s, mps, knot(s)mph→km/h, km/h→mph, everything else→km/h60 mph → 96.5606 km/h
Times, sec(s), second(s), min(s), minute(s), h, hr(s), hour(s), d, day(s), w, wk, week(s)seconds→min, minutes→hours, hours→minutes, days→hours, weeks→days90 min → 1.5 hours
72F in C converted to 22.2222°C, with 295.3722 K in the subtitle
Temperatures show the other two scales: 72°F is 22.2222°C and 295.3722 K.
16GB in MB converted to 16,384 MB
Data sizes use 1024 steps, so 16 GB is 16,384 MB.

Converted values have up to four decimal places. Volume, area, pressure, energy and bits are not supported. Because in doubles as the word for “into”, inches need to be glued to the number: 10in to cm works, 10 in to cm does not.

Currency

Write an amount with a currency code or symbol, optionally followed by in or to and a code: $100 in EUR, 50 GBP to USD, € 50, 1000 JPY to VND.

$100 in EUR converted to 92.00 EUR
  • Symbols: $ (USD), €, £, ¥ (JPY), ₫, ₩, ₹, R$, before or after the number.
  • The target must be a three-letter code. Commas in the amount are fine.
  • Without a target, Lightspot converts to your Mac’s currency when it is in the list below and different from the source; otherwise US dollars go to euros and everything else to US dollars.

The exchange rates are built into Lightspot and fixed: they are never downloaded, so they do not follow the market. Use them for a rough idea, not for payments. The 30 rates per US dollar:

USD1EUR0.92GBP0.79
JPY154.5CAD1.38AUD1.52
CHF0.9CNY7.24INR83.5
SGD1.35HKD7.81KRW1,375
VND25,450SEK10.85NOK10.95
NZD1.66MXN16.95BRL5.15
TWD32.4THB36.8IDR16,200
PLN3.98TRY32.2ZAR18.5
PHP57.5CZK23.3DKK6.87
HUF362ILS3.72MYR4.72

Number bases

Convert a number with in or to followed by hex, bin or binary, oct or octal, or dec or decimal. The number can be decimal, hexadecimal with 0x or binary with 0b:

255 in hex converted to 0xFF
0xFF in bin converted to 0b11111111

Type a hexadecimal or binary number on its own, such as 0xFF or 0b1010, to see it in decimal with the other bases in the subtitle:

0xFF shown as 255, with binary 0b11111111 and octal 377 in the subtitle

Hexadecimal results are written 0xFF, binary 0b… and octal 0o…. Only whole numbers from 0 up to the 64-bit limit are converted.