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. Modern calculators often incorporate general-purpose computing, but they're usually made to carry out specific tasks. For instance graphing calculators concentrate on graph-centered math such as trigonometry as well as statistics. Also, modern calculators are larger and more portable than a majority of computers although some personal digital assistants (PDAs) are comparable in size to hand held calculators.

Since calculators are small, there will be a time when gadgets that are the size of credit cards can perform the similar calculations that are currently used in large scientific calculators. A different possibility of advancement is similar to a handheld computer and where the notes aren't entered using buttons, but written directly on an LCD. With this development, the requirement for buttons would be eliminated and the size of the device will be reduced further.

Overview

There was a time when mechanical clerical aids like abaci, comptometers, Napier's bones, books of mathematical Tables, Slide Rules or mechanical addition machines were used for numeric work. The word "calculator" denoted a person who did such work for a living employing such aids as well as papers and pencils. The process of calculation, which was semi-manual was tedious and error-prone.

Modern calculators are electrically powered and come in a variety of sizes and shapes that range from cheap, give-away, credit card sized models up to robust machines that add on built-in printers.

Electronic calculators

In the past calculators had the same size as our computers today. These first calculators that were mechanical were mechanical desktop machines, which were soon replaced by electromechanical desktop calculators, later by electronic devices that used first thermionic valvesand later transistors, followed by hard-wired circuit logic. Today, the majority of calculators can be described as hand held microelectronic devices.

Basic configuration

The complexity of calculators can vary depending on the purpose for which they are designed. A basic modern calculator could comprise of the following components:

• A power source for example, a battery or a solar panel or both
• A display, usually made with LED lights as well as liquid crystal (LCD) capable of showing a range of numbers (typically between 8 and 10)
• Electronic circuitry
• A keypad that contains:
  • The ten numbers, 0 through 9
  • The decimal point
  • The equals sign to prompt for the answer
  • The four Arithmetic functions (namely subtraction, addition multiplication and division)
  • A cancel button, which will end the current calculation
  • The buttons for on and off
  • Other functions that are fundamental, such as square root or percentage (%).
• Advanced models could have only one number in memory, and can be stored in case of need. There may also be an Cancel Entry button to delete the current number being entered.

Since the late 1980s basic calculators have been installed in other small devices including mobile phones, pagers, or wrist watches.

Advanced electronic calculators

The more sophisticated scientific calculators are able to support trigonometric, statistical, and other mathematical functions. The most sophisticated modern calculators have graphics and incorporate features of computers algebra systems. They can also be programmed; calculator applications include algebraic equation solvers along with financial models, and games. Most calculators of this type can print numbers as large as 10 decimal numbers in full on the screen. Scientific notation is used to represent numbers as large as 9.999999999*10 ⁹⁹. If a higher value or a mathematical expression yielding higher numbers than the number entered (a common instance is typing "100! ", read as "100 factorial") then the calculator simply displays "error."

"Error" is also displayed whenever a function procedure isn't mathematically understood or mathematically. For instance, division using zero, or bases of negative numbers (most scientific calculators don't permit complex numbers, but some expensive ones do have an extra function to work with complex numbers). However, some, but not all calculators are able to distinguish between these two types of "error," though when they do, it is difficult for the user to comprehend because they're typically referred to with the names "error 1" or "error 2."

A few companies create and make modern professional finance and engineering calculators: The most well-known are Casio, Sharp, Hewlett-Packard (HP), as well as Texas Instruments (TI). Such calculators are good examples of embedded systems.