Rule of thumb for having a calculator in the right mode?

[Tyrion101]

I've started my trig class and this is the first time in my math career I've actually had to pay attention to what mode my calculator is in. So my question is, is there a rule for it? Will it be obvious to the problem?

 

[Mark44]

I've started my trig class and this is the first time in my math career I've actually had to pay attention to what mode my calculator is in. So my question is, is there a rule for it? Will it be obvious to the problem?

There's not really any need for a rule of thumb -- just pay attention to how the problem is stated. If the angles are explicitly given in degrees, then pretty obviously, your calculator should be in degree mode. If none of the angles are given with any units, you can assume radians, so the calculator should be in radian mode.