Showing posts with label Calculators. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Calculators. Show all posts

Sunday, January 1, 2012

The History of Calculators

!±8± The History of Calculators

There was a time in history when simple arithmetic was compulsory in school. As technology emerged new discoveries quickly transformed the way we used traditional methods. One of these great inventions was the calculator. Modern calculators differ from old counting instruments. Numerical devices such as the abaci and comptometers were a manual process that was full of errors and quite tedious. Conversely modern calculators are digital or solar powered and don't require much manual labor. They are very inexpensive and come in many sizes and models. Listed below are seven lucky facts about calculators you should know:

In Education
1. There was plenty resistance to using calculators in school because it was thought that it would take away from their basic arithmetic skills.
2. Some scientific research indicates that insufficient guidance in the use of calculators can hold back mathematical thinking that pupils learn. On the flip side, others dispute that mathematical devices can cause fundamental mathematical skills to weaken or that such use can prevent learning of key mathematical concepts.

History: The Early Days
3. The first type of calculating instrument that was implanted was the Abacus. They were made out of a square shaped wooden piece with beads sliding up and down on wires. The Abacus is still used by merchants and fishermen in Africa and Asia.
4. The first recorded analog computer was in 150 BC. It was called the Antikythera mechanism and the astrolabe. These computation devices were made in Greece.

17th to 19th century
5. Wilhelm Schickard a German mathematician made the first digital calculator in 1623. He is dubbed the father of the computing era. His design used techniques that a clock used so addition devices were originally called computing clocks.
6. These gadgets were later improved upon by Charles Babbage (rhymes with cabbage) when he invented the mechanical calculator. It was called the difference engine because it could manipulate seven numbers of thirty-one.

Present
7. In the early eighties computing gadgets were a luxury item costing about two weeks pay. Prices dropped as cost of construction material for these devices became less expensive and accessible.
Today it is difficult for manufacturers to make a good profit of selling calculators solely. Consequently companies have competed to find unique strategies to sell computing devices. You can now purchase them as a dual items on mouse pads, pens, rulers and almost anything you can think of.


The History of Calculators

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Saturday, December 3, 2011

Leading Manufacturers of Graphing Calculators

!±8± Leading Manufacturers of Graphing Calculators

A computing devices that is able to plot graphs and solve graphing problems is called a graphing calculator. It can solve simultaneous equations and can perform various tasks with variables. The calculator has a large display that is able to take in numerous lines of text and calculations at the same time. There are also color displays, 3D graphing, and readily user-programmable graphing calculators that are useful in education, engineering, and scientific applications.

World's Leading Producers
Casio, Hewlett Packard (HP), Texas Instruments (TI), and Sharp are the world's leading producers of graphing calculators. Each company has their own top of the line models.

For instance, Casio has its fx-7000G graphing calculator manufactured in 1985. it was also one of the first graphing calculators that came out in the market. Hewlett Packard has HP-28C after few years and eventually produced the HP-28S in 1988.

The other models HP had produced are the HP-48SX in 1990, HP-48S in 1991 and the recent model, the HP 50g in 2006. The HP 50g has a feature of Computer Algebra System (CAS), powerful in solving analytical problems and in manipulating symbolic expressions. The production of HP-28 and HP-48 range is specifically intended to groups of science and engineering professionals.

The HP-38 HP-39 and HP-40 target the high school and college students as the main market. And the HP-49 model is sold to all levels of both educational and professional customers. It is known for its standard expression entry interface. All the HP series are popular because they are featured with Reverse Polish Notation interface.

In 1990, Texas Instruments started to manufacture graphing calculators. Their first model was the TI-81 series. The TI-82 and TI-83 series consist of TI- 83, TI-83 Plus, and TI-83 Plus Silver Edition. These have larger internal memory. Their TI-80 and TI-73 series are best suitable for students, ages 10 to 14 years old. The design of TI-85, TI-86, TI-89 series, and TI-92 series which comprises of the TI-92, TI-92 Plus, and Voyage 200 are applicable for calculus. And the TI-89 and TI-92 series are designed with computer algebra system; however, the TI-92 series offers a QWERTY keypad.

Texas Instrument devices are purposely produced mainly for the educational sector and the general public. Sharp has been also involved in the production of graphing calculators. However, they do not have collections of programs.

Here are the top selling models regardless of brand names:

HP 48G II Graphing Calculator
It is a perfect graphing calculator for either laboratory activities or classroom work in math, science, statistics, engineering and surveying. The calculator features 128KB Memory, and 80.7KB of the total memory is available to the user. It has 131 x 64 pixel display and has large built-in constant library and structured programming for making applications.

The HP graphing calculator features more than 2,300 functions. It has a Computer Algebra System (CAS). This feature is very helpful in numeric solving and symbolic manipulation. Thus working in complex arithmetic or calculus functions will be easier and not complicated.

It also provides comfortable viewing because it has a large screen along with 2D and 3D graphing modes. Such screen has also serial port and IrDA connectivity that consists of cable and software. The serial port can be connected to the PC for easy transfer of data. The graphing calculator is featured with algebraic, RPN and textbook entry modes As well.

It is operated on three batteries. It also comes with an auto shut off feature after five idle minutes. It measures only 7.2 x 3.4 x .09 inches and weighs 7.7 ounces.

Texas Instruments TI-89 Titanium Graphing Calculator
Texas Instruments TI-89 Titanium Graphing Calculator is ideal for advanced engineering applications and advanced college mathematics. It has a big working memory of 188 KB RAM, and upgradeable to 2.7 MB Flash ROM and 3D graphing. It includes a mini USB port and such USB port is useful for a more convenient transferring of data. It has a display of 100 x 160 pixels.

This device is handy in storing important financial data. It has pre-programmed applications like a cell sheet, polynomial root finder, calendar, note folio, symbolic math guide, French and German localization, and simultaneous equation solver. The calculator has a graph mode that can store 99 equations. And some of the analysis of TI calculator includes maximums, minimums, roots, intersections, derivatives, arc lengths, inflection points, and integrals.

The unit comes in a hard slide case and power supplied by 4 batteries that are silver oxide. It comes along as well with a user instruction guide. It has one year warranty for the parts and for the labor.

Casio CFX-9850GB Plus Graphing Calculator
This graphing calculator is best for math and science students. It has 900 advanced features to help solve problems quickly and accurately. It has a total memory of 32 KB and can store up to 38 programs. It has also a large, easy to read display that can show eight lines and 21 characters, 15-digit, 10-plus-2. And such display is in three colors which make then the graph in animated form. Thus the variables in can be changed in a formula, and then will able to view the movement of the graph.

The calculator has ability to work on statistical calculations that include histograms, eight regression types, scatter plots, and box and whisker plots. It has a built-in communications port that can be connect to a personal computer. Graphic functions include making vertical lines, parametric, rectangular and polar coordinates.

The Casio graphing calculator is enclosed in a hard slide case and uses four alkaline batteries and a lithium battery. It comes also with a user guidebook. It weighs 2 pounds.


Leading Manufacturers of Graphing Calculators

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