Modern calculators

How Calculators Work

There may have been an era where the most complicated calculations people were required to make could be completed with the help of their fingers and toes. However, today the world is so complex that it's difficult for many people to think of doing anything that requires numberssuch as math homework for tax-related returns, even tipping servers in restaurants -- without the assistance of at the very least a pocket calculator. In fact, electronic calculators are now so commonplace that it's hard to believe they didn't become commonplace until the late 20 th century.

Before the invention of the modern calculator prior to the invention of the modern calculator, there were other devices for computation. The abaci is an example. It is a precursor to the calculator. Likely originally of Babylonian origin early abaci could be boards on which the location of counters reflected the numerical value. The current abacus -- which some people still use today from China, Japan and the Middle East -- works by transferring beads across wires that are strung on a frame The source is Britannica: Abacus].

Through the course of the last century, some individuals performed calculations using mechanical adding machines, while others utilized mathematical tables, and slide rulers -- devices with movable, graduated scales that are, based on the kind you own, can be used for everything from multiplication to trigonometry Source: Britannica: Slide Rule[source: Britannica Slide Rule.

Then, in the 1960s, advances in integrated circuitry led directly to the creation of electronic calculators but the initial versions of these calculators -- made by companies such as Sharp as well as Texas Instruments -- looked very little like the one you may be carrying around today in your backpack or briefcase.

To understand more about evolution of today's electronic calculator -- and find out how the growing demand of consumers for smaller calculators led to the invention of microchips which power the appliances we use every everyday, keep reading.

Advertisementhttps://fbe7c359baef375ed91a4619ee1bc775.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.htmlContents

  1. Evolution of the Electronic Calculator
  2. Calculator Components
  3. How a Calculator Calculates
  4. Impact of Calculator Technology

Evolution of the Electronic Calculator

Image alt="Graphing calculators offer a myriad of sophisticated functions, including solving and graphing equations." data-fr-src="https://media.hswstatic.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJjb250ZW50Lmhzd3N0YXRpYy5jb20iLCJrZXkiOiJnaWZcL2NhbGN1bGF0b3ItMi5qcGciLCJlZGl0cyI6eyJyZXNpemUiOnsid2lkdGgiOjIwMH19fQ=="/>

Graphing calculators have many advanced functions, including solving and graphing equations.(c) ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/MBBIRDY

Many electronics companies and inventors have claimed a first when it comes to the development of the electronic calculator. Japanese business Sharp is said to have invented the very pioneering desk calculator model, the CS-10A, in 1964. It was similar to a cash register and was priced equal to a mid-sized car (sources: Lewis, Sharp]. As of 1967, Texas Instruments developed what is called the first portable, handheld calculator -- a gadget that could perform addition as well as subtraction, multiplication, and division as part of a project was dubbed by the company "Cal Tech" [sources: Courier Mail, Texas Instruments[sources: Courier Mail, Texas Instruments].

Using "Cal Tech" technology, Canon invented one of the first portable calculator to be used in commercial settings, it was introduced in 1970 and came with the price that was $400. [source: Texas Instruments]. The following years were something of a race between makers to make calculators smaller, easier to use and more affordable. The year 1972 was when British innovator Sir Clive Sinclair introduced the Sinclair Executive, which is considered by many to be the world's first pocket calculator (sources: The Press, Western Daily PressThe Press, Western Daily Press. Its weight was similar to a pack of cigarettes.

These continuous advances in calculator technology were due to the development of the single-chip microprocessor in the latter half of the 1960s. Before this time engineers designed the computing "brains" of calculators (and computers) with multiple chips or other components. In essence, a single-chip processor allows a whole central processing unit (CPU) to be housed within a silicon microchip. (To know more about this technology, read the How Microprocessors work.)

Intel Corp. created the first single-chip microprocessor commercially available -- Intel 4004 Intel 4004 -- in 1971 [sources: Behar, Intel]. It was able of performing basic arithmetic and 4 bits of information per second. However, Intel's cofounder, Gordon Moore, predicted that the capabilities of the chip would be doubled approximately 2 times per year. This is known as "Moore's Law," and as of today, it is the truth. While calculators did get smaller, they became capable of increasingly sophisticated software Source: Intel].

Today, in addition contemporary versions of the traditional pocket calculator sophisticated scientific and graphing calculators are used by both students and professionals like engineers. Many use well-known computer languages and are programmable according to the user's needs. In fact when Texas Instruments introduced its TI-92 model in 1995, they described it "a calculator with the power of a computer lab" [source: Texas Instruments]. Many scientific and graphing calculators could be able of several of these things:

  • Moving from the base-ten system to other number systems (hexadecimal counting, which is an example of a system that is base-16)
  • Using scientific notation to calculate extremely large numbers
  • By using logarithms and trigonometric functions directly
  • The use of constants like pi and e with a much higher degree of precision
  • Utilizing complicated numbers such as fractions, formulas, and fractions
  • Solving equations
  • Statistic analysis
  • Utilizing larger displays to calculate graphs and formulas

Check out part 2 to find out details about circuit boards, solar cells, and some of the additional components of the calculator.

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