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#### 1.5.1 Starting Calc

On most systems, you can type `C-x *` to start the Calculator. The key sequence `C-x *` is bound to the command `calc-dispatch`, which can be rebound if convenient (see Customizing Calc).

When you press `C-x *`, Emacs waits for you to press a second key to complete the command. In this case, you will follow `C-x *` with a letter (upper- or lower-case, it doesn’t matter for `C-x *`) that says which Calc interface you want to use.

To get Calc’s standard interface, type `C-x * c`. To get Keypad mode, type `C-x * k`. Type `C-x * ?` to get a brief list of the available options, and type a second `?` to get a complete list.

To ease typing, `C-x * *` also works to start Calc. It starts the same interface (either `C-x * c` or `C-x * k` ) that you last used, selecting the `C-x * c` interface by default.

If `C-x *` doesn’t work for you, you can always type explicit commands like `M-x calc` (for the standard user interface) or `M-x calc-keypad` (for Keypad mode). First type `M-x` (that’s Meta with the letter `x`), then, at the prompt, type the full command (like `calc-keypad`) and press Return.

The same commands (like `C-x * c` or `C-x * *`) that start the Calculator also turn it off if it is already on.