Modern calculators

Calculator

Navigation, Jump to Next (Calcium)Next (Caleb)A Basic calculator

It is a calculator is the device that is used for making calculations. The modern calculator usually incorporates general-purpose computing, but they are often designed for specific purposes. For instance graphing calculators focus on graph-centered math like trigonometry as well as statistics. Furthermore, modern calculators tend to be smaller than computers in general even though some personal electronic aids (PDAs) are similar in size to hand held calculators.

As calculators are miniature, one day devices which are as small as credit cards will be able to do the identical calculations as today's large scientific calculators. Another possible advance may be similar to a hand-held computer, where the notations do not require buttons, but rather written on a screen. With this development, the need for buttons would be eliminated and the overall size of the device could be reduced further.

Overview

In the past, clerical tools made of mechanical such as abaci, comptometers, Napier's bones, books of mathematical tables, slide rules or mechanical adding machines were used to perform numeric calculations. The term "calculator" denoted a person who was able to do this work for a living employing such devices as well pencil and paper. This semi-manual process of calculation was time-consuming and error-prone.

Modern calculators are powered by electricity and are available in an array of dimensions and shapes, ranging from inexpensive, giveaway, credit card sized models up to robust adding machines--like models that have integrated printers.

Electronic calculators

In the past, some calculators had the same size as the computers of today. They were the first mechanical desktop devices, which were soon replaced by electromechanical calculators for desktops, and later by electronic devices that used first thermionic devices, then transistors, later hard-wired integrated circuit logic. Today, the majority of calculators are handheld microelectronic devices.

Basic configuration

The complexity of calculators varies according to their purpose. A standard modern calculator may include the following elements:

  • A source of power like a battery or solar panel both
  • Displays, typically constructed by LEDs and liquid crystal (LCD) capable of showing a number of numbers (typically 8 or 10)
  • Electronic circuitry
  • A keypad containing:
    • The ten digitsin ten, 0 through 9
    • The decimal point
    • The equals sign, to call for the answer
    • The four Arithmetic functions (namely, addition, subtraction multiplication, division and subtraction)
    • A cancel button, which will remove the current calculation
    • Off and on buttons
    • Other fundamental functions are square root, for example and percent (%).
  • Higher-end models may come with a memory of one number, which can be recalled where necessary. It may also include the Cancel Entry button, to clear the current numbers being entered.

Since the late 1980s, simple calculators have been included in other small gadgets, such as mobile phones, pagers or wrist watches.

Electronic calculators with advanced technology

Advanced scientific calculators include trigonometric, statistical, as well as various mathematical features. The most modern and advanced calculators have graphics and include features of computer algebra systems. They are also programmable; calculator software includes algebraic equation solvers financial models, as well as games. Most calculators of this type can print numbers that are up to 10 decimal places or digits in full-screen. Scientific notation is used to notate numbers that are as high as 9.999999999*10 99. If a greater number or a mathematical equation that returns an even greater number than the one entered (a common instance is typing "100! ", read as "100 factorial") then the calculator will show "error."

"Error" is also displayed when a function, or operation is mathematically undefined for instance, division using zero, or bases of negative numbers (most scientific calculators do not allow complex numbers, however certain expensive models come with special functions to work with them). Certain, but not all, calculators can recognize these two types of "error," though when they do, they are not easy for the user to grasp because they are usually given by the numbers "error 1" or "error 2."

There are a handful of companies that design and produce modern, high-end finance and engineering calculators the most well-known ones are Casio, Sharp, Hewlett-Packard (HP), and Texas Instruments (TI). Such calculators are good example of embedded software.

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