scientific notation
floating point arithmetic
logarithmic functions, using both base 10 and base e
trigonometric functions (some including hyperbolic trigonometry)
exponential functions and roots beyond the square root
quick access to constants such as pi and e

In addition, high-end scientific calculators will include:

hexadecimal, binary, and octal calculations, including basic Boolean math
complex numbers
fractions
statistics and probability calculations
programmability — see Programmable calculator
equation solving
calculus
conversion of units
physical constants

While most scientific models have traditionally used a single-line display similar to traditional pocket calculators, many of them have at the very least more digits (10 to 12), sometimes with extra digits for the floating point exponent. A few have multi-line displays, with some recent models from Hewlett-Packard, Texas Instruments, Casio, Sharp, and Canon using dot matrix displays similar to those found on graphing calculators.