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[Closed] pocket calculators - rant

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Geeky rant.
When did pocket calculators all go wrong?

I use a scientific calculator quite often for my my work. The trusty 1995 Canon broke last week, and replacements I can't use. -They have gone all sort of "literal" on us. When did this happen?

So to calculate (for example) sin(10 log (5^-3))
Old machine I would have input: 5 exp 3 +- = log * 10 = sin. Common sense to someone who has done that for 30 years.
Can I use this bloody new calculator I bought? hell no. It's like a different language. It all has to be the same as you'd write it down.

Does anyone else have this problem?


 
Posted : 19/07/2010 11:58 am
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No......just moved with the times - i used the same calc from 98 (first year at high school)to first year at uni some sharp job.... At uni i was told i had to get a new one to sit my exams....a casio of some kind. .....what a revelation compared to the sharp ....


 
Posted : 19/07/2010 12:05 pm
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so you can't deal with a more literal, logical input mechanism....

sound like a fault with the user, not the hardware.


 
Posted : 19/07/2010 12:06 pm
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I'd say it was about a year after you bought yours, there were probably forward logic ones available when you bought yours, so you should've got one then you backwards fool! 😉


 
Posted : 19/07/2010 12:13 pm
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Wetware failure.


 
Posted : 19/07/2010 12:15 pm
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Luddite! 😉


 
Posted : 19/07/2010 12:15 pm
 tron
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I absolutely love the literal input system & the ability to look back through previous lines of calcs. Really makes doing work, checking it and correcting it a lot easier.


 
Posted : 19/07/2010 12:17 pm
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It's like a different language. It all has to be the same as you'd write it down.

So err not like a different language at all then?

Apparently HP calculators support Reverse Polish Notation if you are that way inclined.


 
Posted : 19/07/2010 12:17 pm
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RPN is evil. At Uni we used to refer to it as "egdelP" (think about it).

This might be of interest to the OP; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calculator_input_methods


 
Posted : 19/07/2010 12:27 pm
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It all has to be the same as you'd write it down.

How is anyone ever going to cope??

Old machine I would have input: 5 exp 3 +- = log * 10 = sin

I didn't know abacuses had sin functions.


 
Posted : 19/07/2010 12:27 pm
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Always used scientific calculator but found some new mobile apps using science mode too.


 
Posted : 19/07/2010 12:35 pm

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