Modern calculators
How Calculators Work
There was probably times when the most complicated computations people required to perform could have been done with their fingers and toes. Nowadays it's virtually impossible for many people to imagine doing anything involving numbers -such as math homework to tax returns to tipping servers at restaurants -- without the aid of at the very least a pocket calculator. Electronic calculators have become so widespread that it's hard imagine that they weren't popular until the end of the 20 century. century.
Before the invention of the current calculator there were other tools to compute. The abacus is an example. It is one of the ancestors of the calculator. Probably originated from Babylonian origin the earliest abaci may be boards that had the position of counters reflected the numerical value. However, the current abacus -- that some people still use today from China, Japan and the Middle East -- works by transferring beads across wires connected to a frame from Britannica: Abacus].
For the majority of the century, some people performed computations using motor-assisted adding machines, while others utilized mathematical tables or slide rule devices that have adjustable scales and graduated ones that depend on the type you own, can be used for everything from multiplication to trigonometry *Source: Britannica: Slide Rule[source: Britannica: Slide Rules].
Then, in the 1960s, advances in integrated circuitry led the development of electronic calculators, however, the early versions these calculators -- made by companies such as Sharp as well as Texas Instruments -- looked far from the type that you might carry today in your backpack or briefcase.
For more information about the advancements of the electronic calculator and learn how the demands of consumers of smaller-sized calculators lead to the creation of microchips that power appliances that we use every day , read on.
Advertisementhttps://fbe7c359baef375ed91a4619ee1bc775.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.htmlContents
- Evolution of the Electronic Calculator
- Calculator Components
- How a Calculator Calculates
- Impact of Calculator Technology
Evolution of the Electronic Calculator
Graphing calculators have many advanced functions, including solving and graphing equations.(c) ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/MBBIRDY
Several electronics companies and inventors could claim a first when it comes to the invention of the electronic calculator. Japanese company Sharp is said to have invented the pioneering desk calculator model, the CS-10A, in 1964. This model resembled a cash register and cost around equal to a mid-sized car [sources: Lewis, Sharp]. In 1967, Texas Instruments developed what was dubbed the first handheld and portable calculator which was gadget that could perform addition as well as subtraction, multiplication, and division -- in a venture that was dubbed by the company "Cal Tech" [sources: Courier Mail, Texas Instruments].
Using "Cal Tech" technology, Canon created their first mobile calculator that was designed for commercial use it was introduced in 1970 and came with a price tag that was $400. [source: Texas Instruments]. The following few years would be something of a race among manufacturers to make calculators smaller, more accessible and more affordable. When the year was 1972, British engineer Sir Clive Sinclair introduced the Sinclair Executive, which is widely regarded as the world's most affordable pocket calculator [sources: The Press, Western Daily Pressand Western Daily Press. Its thickness was the same as a pack of cigarettes.
These continued advancements on calculator technology were result of the development of the single-chip microprocessor in the late 1960s. Prior to this engineers had built the computing "brains" of calculators (and computers) using multiple chips or other components. In essence, a single-chip processor can allow a full central processing unit (CPU) to reside within a silicon microchip. (To learn more about this type of technology, visit the article How Microprocessors Work.)
Intel Corp. created the first commercially available single-chip microprocessor called known as the Intel 4004 -- in 1971 (sources: Behar, Intel]. It could perform basic arithmetic with 4 bits of information at a time. However, Intel's cofounder Gordon Moore, predicted that the capacity of one chip would double around twice every 2 years. This theory is referred to as "Moore's Law," and to this day, it remains for the moment. While calculators did get smaller as they grew older, they were also able of more advanced application *Source: Intel].
Today, as well as newer versions of the standard pocket calculator sophisticated graphing and scientific calculators are used by both students and professionals like engineers. A lot of them use widely-used computer languages and are programmable according to the needs of the user. In fact the time that Texas Instruments introduced its TI-92 model in 1995, they called"TI-92 "a calculator with the power of a computer lab" [source: Texas Instruments]. Numerous graphing and scientific calculators may be capable of several of these things:
- The switch from the standard base-ten to other number systems (hexadecimal counting, is an example of a system that is base-16)
- Using scientific notation to calculate very large amounts
- By using logarithms and trigonometric functions directly
- The use of constants like pi and e can be done with greater levels of precision
- Utilizing complicated numbers using fractions, complex formulas and even fractions
- Solving equations
- Examining statistics
- Utilizing larger screens to figure out graphs and formulas
Check out our next chapter to learn more about solar cells, circuit boards and other parts that make up a calculator.
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