On 18/02/14 18:33, Michael Black wrote:
On Tue, 18 Feb 2014, Brian Reay wrote:


The Sinclair was also RPN, as were the early Texas calculators I
think. Sinclair lacked the "Enter" button, using the + key its place.

I don't remember the TI calculators having RPN. I remember them as
being more reasonably priced versions of "electronic slide rules", which
was what they called them originally.

I recall the "electronic slide rule" jargon being used. I could be wrong
about the early TIs. I have an American friend who may know, he was a TI
user as I recall.


It's odd to look back now. I think that HP35 that a fellow ham got in
1972 or maybe 73 (a group buy at his place of employment) was the first
pocket calculator I ever saw close up. So many functions, yet so few
compared to what you can get on a $10 calculator today

I don't know what the first TI scientific calculator cost, but it was
less than the HP by far, and soon you could get one in the $50 range,
and then $30 range, which is when I got my TI-30.

I invested in a TI50 to start my Uni. course, it cost around £50 as I
recall, The next model up, with the card reader, was about double that.

The Japanese were just bringing cheaper calculators into the market at
the time- Commodore in particular. This was 1979/80.

Such a big change, a sudden surge in articles in the ham magazines
showing equations, suddenly you could actually work things out without
needing much math skill.


As a Mathematician, I would argue that calculators enter the game when
it has become arithmetic ;-) (However, as few know the difference I tend
to 'go with the flow' before someone refers to one of my widely
circulated articles.)

I think it was the National scientific calculator that had RPN, coming
later but also being quite cheap.

I don't recall those. The only calculators I recall using RPN are HP,
Sinclair, and (I thought) some early TI ones- although that may be an error.


For the 'everyday' user, RPN was not popular and calculators offering,
almost, algebraic, entry became more popular. I think the first
calculator to offer true algebraic entry (ie following BODMAS/BIDMAS
convention) was Texas. Even today some cheap calculators don't follow
the convention. One of the many things I warn pupils of when I teach
calculator use.

That's interesting. I look at the cheapest of the cheap scientific
calculators, and the functions are at least the same as my TI-30 from
about 1977. I assume the calculators have gotten so cheap because the
work was done long ago, buying old technology to implement cheap today.

It is common to see 'clones' of quite respectable calculators which
function as the originals and only differ in their name and case colour.
Probably common parts.

The ones I was referring tend to be simple 4 function (or perhaps 4
function and a couple of others eg % Mem) which real 'cheapies'.

Perhaps it is just old designs no one has corrected.

--
73
Brian
G8OSN/W8OSN
www.g8osn.net