Division by Zero
HP HP Calculator
Severity: MinorWhat Does This Error Mean?
HP calculator Division by Zero means an expression in your calculation attempted to divide a number by zero. On the HP 50g in RPN mode this appears as 'Infinite Result'; on the HP Prime it shows 'Division by Zero' in CAS mode and a symbolic infinity in standard mode. Correct the expression or check the value of any variable in the denominator.
Affected Models
- HP 50g
- HP Prime (G1 and G2)
- HP 35s
- HP 12C / HP 12C Platinum
Common Causes
- An expression divides directly by zero — e.g. 5 ÷ 0
- A variable in the denominator has a value of zero
- A trigonometric function produces zero in the denominator — e.g. 1 ÷ tan(0)
- A statistical formula produces a denominator of zero — e.g. standard deviation of a single identical value
- Recursive calculation where a loop causes the denominator to reach zero
How to Fix It
-
Check your expression for a zero denominator.
Review the expression and identify the division operation. Confirm the denominator value is not zero. If you used a variable, press the variable name to check its current stored value — it may have been set to zero in a previous calculation.
-
On HP 50g: check the calculation stack.
On the HP 50g, press DROP to remove the 'Infinite Result' from the stack, then examine the values at stack levels 1 and 2 before the division. Stack level 2 is the numerator, stack level 1 is the denominator — confirm the denominator is not zero.
-
On HP Prime: use the CAS LIMIT function for symbolic analysis.
If the division by zero is intentional (computing a limit), use the CAS LIMIT command: LIMIT(expression, variable, value). This evaluates the limit rather than the direct value and returns a symbolic result.
-
Reset variables if they have unexpected values.
On the HP 50g: go to the VAR menu and check stored variables. On the HP Prime: go to CAS → vars to list CAS variables. Delete any variable holding 0 that should hold a non-zero value.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my HP 50g show 'Infinite Result' instead of an error?
The HP 50g treats 1/0 as infinity in some operating modes rather than raising an error. The result 'Infinite Result' or the infinity symbol means a division by zero was computed but the calculator chose to represent it symbolically rather than halt.
Is Division by Zero an error I can continue from?
Yes. Press CANCEL or CLEAR to dismiss the error message, then correct the expression. No data is lost — previous stack or variable contents are preserved.