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Talk:Calculator input methods

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Fcalculators (talk | contribs) at 20:23, 1 March 2010 (Suggestions for better defintions). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Definitions

I am considering a re-write of the first section of the article, for the following reasons.

I am not sure if the article intends to cover all calculators with the two definitions (it says there are two main types), but the definition of immediate execution - that the operations are executed “when the next operator is pressed” – may exclude some calculators with parentheses buttons or precedence mode, such as [1]. This is not a formula calculator, but it is not an immediate-execution calculator either: with 2*(3+4)*5, the first * isn’t executed when the next operator, +, is entered, but when the second * is entered. With this example, any number of operations could be entered between the parentheses before the first * is executed, and so perhaps intermediate execution is a better term for this type of calculator. Also, if the article’s definition of a formula calculator is taken literally, it excludes calculations typed into multi-line edit boxes, which don’t use Enter to do the calculation.

If the term intermediate execution isn’t used, perhaps an immediate-execution calculator can be defined as one that executes operators during calculation entry and immediately their operands are known. Also, if calculators are differentiated according to when operations are executed and values shown, perhaps calculators that show the final value only 'after the whole calculation as been entered, can be known as final-execution calculators.

So I would like to clarify the definitions. Also, there is more to calculator input than the interpretation of keystrokes, and I would like to deal with several other ways in which calculators differ in their methods of input.

Fcalculators (talk) 20:23, 1 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]

References

Please can an expert tidy up the references? For example, reference 10 currently reads "Reference 11, section 2"; I think "Reference 11" means Thimbleby (currently reference 7). I'm not sure which of the formats from Wikipedia:Citing sources/Example edits for different methods or elsewhere is best for this mixture of references to whole documents and sections. Certes (talk) 21:11, 14 November 2009 (UTC)== Reverse Polish notation (RPN) (postfix notation) == How do you get down to five key strokes ? Is there a shorter way than[reply]

  • 3 enter 2 x 1 + (six key strokes)?

Bram4 (talk) 21:16, 11 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I think it is saying that in infix notation it only requires 5 presses. — Carl (CBM · talk) 22:48, 11 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Evolution

I think the article is should reflect historical evolution of calculator input methods. I identified the following phases:

1968 RPN
The first "calculator" to use RPN was the HP9100A, which was introduced in 1968, although this machine is now regarded by many as the first desktop computer. [1]
1970 Immediate execution with out operator precedence
In April 1970, the Pocketronic appeared on the Japanese market; it was a four-function, entirely electronic calculator that retailed for about $400.[2]
1974 Immediate execution with operator precedence
The SR-50 A TI SR-50 (1974) [...] of the first calculators to implement "algebraic logic" (i.e. operator precedence) where 1 + 2 x 3 gives you 7, not 9[3]
1980 Infix (BASIC)
[...]1980 with the introduction of the Sharp PC-1211, the first pocket computer programmable in a high-level language.[...] [4]
1992 Infix (D.A.L., V.P.A.M.)
Introduced in 1992 and an industry-first, SHARP's D.A.L. allows symbols and numbers of an equation to be entered as they are written. [5].
Infix (WriteView, Natural textbook display)
Could not find out when this was first introduced.

One problem for an encyclopaedic article is that not all phases have an official name.

  1. ^ http://www.calculator.org/RPN.html
  2. ^ http://www.datamath.org/Story/Datamath.htm#Texas%20Instruments
  3. ^ http://www.phys.uwosh.edu/mike/calcs.html
  4. ^ http://www.vintagecalculators.com/html/hand-held_calculators.html
  5. ^ Direct algebraic logic
An historical approach is fine by me, but it should be noted that the phrase "an industry-first" is misleading because both graphic calculators (e.g. fx-7000G introduced in 1985) and programmable calculators (e.g. fx-4500P) could do things like 1+2sin 30=. It might be closer to the truth to say the first non-graphic, non-programmable which allows symbols and numbers of an equation to be entered as they are written.
Also it should be noted that even today you can buy calculators for several different input methods, that is to say new methods did not completely replace older methods. Wikicgc (talk) 20:19, 1 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
I agree with you on both accounts. When I first read about D.A.L. my first though was "What about my Sharp PC-1403 - that would do 1 + 2 * sin (30) when used in basic mode..." --Krischik T 09:44, 2 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
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