A calculating apparatus that calculates a characteristic of a target signal, including an input section that receives a bit error or a sampling timing, and a calculating section that calculates sampling timings over a range in which the bit error rate is less than a designated value or a bit error rate at a designated sampling timing, by using a relational expression between the sampling timing and the bit error rate. A transmission model for transmitting a signal having jitter includes a random component and a deterministic component having a prescribed probability density distribution. The relational expression is achieved by substituting, as parameters, a standard deviation of a random component and a peak-to-peak value of a deterministic component in a jitter of the target signal.