diff --git a/djangoapps/courseware/capa/calc.py b/djangoapps/courseware/capa/calc.py
index 63c5c9de01..fb64c58139 100644
--- a/djangoapps/courseware/capa/calc.py
+++ b/djangoapps/courseware/capa/calc.py
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import operator
 import re
 
 import numpy
+import numbers
 import scipy.constants
 
 from pyparsing import Word, alphas, nums, oneOf, Literal
@@ -121,7 +122,7 @@ def evaluator(variables, functions, string, cs=False):
     def number_parse_action(x): # [ '7' ] ->  [ 7 ]
         return [super_float("".join(x))]
     def exp_parse_action(x): # [ 2 ^ 3 ^ 2 ] -> 512
-        x = [e for e in x if type(e) in [float, numpy.float64, numpy.complex]] # Ignore ^
+        x = [e for e in x if isinstance(e, numbers.Number)] # Ignore ^
         x.reverse()
         x=reduce(lambda a,b:b**a, x)
         return x
@@ -130,7 +131,7 @@ def evaluator(variables, functions, string, cs=False):
             return x[0]
         if 0 in x:
             return float('nan')
-        x = [1./e for e in x if type(e) == float] # Ignore ^
+        x = [1./e for e in x if isinstance(e, numbers.Number)] # Ignore ||
         return 1./sum(x)
     def sum_parse_action(x): # [ 1 + 2 - 3 ] -> 0
         total = 0.0
@@ -217,4 +218,7 @@ if __name__=='__main__':
     print evaluator({},{}, "-(7+5)")
     print evaluator({},{}, "-0.33")
     print evaluator({},{}, "-.33")
+    print evaluator({},{}, "5+1*j")
+    print evaluator({},{}, "j||1")
+    print evaluator({},{}, "e^(j*pi)")
     print evaluator({},{}, "5+7 QWSEKO")
diff --git a/djangoapps/courseware/tests.py b/djangoapps/courseware/tests.py
index b0d7cad19f..2b2b354177 100644
--- a/djangoapps/courseware/tests.py
+++ b/djangoapps/courseware/tests.py
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ class ModelsTest(unittest.TestCase):
         variables={'R1':2.0, 'R3':4.0}
         functions={'sin':numpy.sin, 'cos':numpy.cos}
 
-        self.assertEqual(calc.evaluator(variables, functions, "10000||sin(7+5)-6k"), 4000.0)
+        self.assertTrue(abs(calc.evaluator(variables, functions, "10000||sin(7+5)+0.5356"))<0.01)
         self.assertEqual(calc.evaluator({'R1': 2.0, 'R3':4.0}, {}, "13"), 13)
         self.assertEqual(calc.evaluator(variables, functions, "13"), 13)
         self.assertEqual(calc.evaluator({'a': 2.2997471478310274, 'k': 9, 'm': 8, 'x': 0.66009498411213041}, {}, "5"), 5)
@@ -30,6 +30,8 @@ class ModelsTest(unittest.TestCase):
         self.assertEqual(calc.evaluator(variables, functions, "R1*R3"), 8.0)
         self.assertTrue(abs(calc.evaluator(variables, functions, "sin(e)-0.41"))<0.01)
         self.assertTrue(abs(calc.evaluator(variables, functions, "k*T/q-0.025"))<0.001)
+        self.assertTrue(abs(calc.evaluator(variables, functions, "e^(j*pi)")+1)<0.00001)
+        self.assertTrue(abs(calc.evaluator(variables, functions, "j||1")-0.5-0.5j)<0.00001)
         exception_happened = False
         try: 
             calc.evaluator({},{}, "5+7 QWSEKO")