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| The pocket calculator has taken the place of the slide
rule as the calculating instrument of choice in many applications for
engineers, scientists, and students. It has also become indispensable
for a wide range of users who never would have considered using a slide
rule: salespeople, accountants, realtors, people with checking accounts
and elementary school students -- virtually everyone who has to add, subtract,
multiply, or divide in the course of a day.
Considered a marvelous achievement when they first came on the market in the late 1960s, calculators have gotten far more capable while dropping by an order of magnitude in price and shrinking substantially in size, weight, and energy requirements. Today's devices have algebra and calculus functions, plot graphs instantly, solve equations, and even provide for software upgrades. The relatively simple and inexpensive ($15) scientific calculator pictured above (used by my daughter in 6th grade) not only does trigonometric functions and logarithms, but can even do arithmetic with fractions. In this field of fast-moving technology, the early models, 30 or so years old, have become collectors' items and objects of instant nostalgia. The web reveals several calculator museums as well as the personal collections of many calculator hobbyists. Other sites include discussions of calculator technology and Java-based pocket calculator emulators that work on a PC. A selection of the most interesting is provided below. |
|
 = highly recommendedThe
Museum of Pocket Calculating Devices, with photos of and information
about 1,230 devices -- mostly calculators, but also some slide rules, abacuses,
and miscellaneous gizmos (such as Mattel's Horoscope Computer listed under
"other pocket devices"). An amazing site, well-organized, easy to
navigate, and huge! Created by Gerhard Wenzel of Solingen, Germany.
Alex Knight's Calculator Museum Web Page, including a Pocket Calculator Photo Gallery. Exterior and interior photographs of a couple of dozen early model calculators. Also a number of articles on specific calculators.
Pocket
Calculator Collectors' Web Ring. Links to 34 sites for "collectors
and those interested in old
"Pocket Calculator" -- the song. The first single released to promote the 1981 album "Computer World" by the German musical group, Kraftwerk. Beware of the garish color! The Old Calculators Web Museum, curated by Rick Bensene of Oregon City, Oregon. A pocket calculator for your PC, written in Java by Mikael Bonnier of Sweden. Available to use on his site or for a free download. EEC Technology Reference -- a source of information about the technology used in early electronic calculators. For techies only. The TI-92, by Texas Instruments, first pocket calculator in the world with a dynamic geometry environment (Cabri II) and a formal computing system (Derive). Vintage Calculators. Various calculator collections, as well as pages on calculator technology, the calculator business, a timeline, and more. The Museum of Soviet Calculators on the Web, by Andrew Davie of Hobart, Tasmania, and friends. Some pretty unusual stuff. Don't miss the instructions for doing division on the Bystritsa, Bystritsa-2 and the Bohn Contex machines (scroll down to near the bottom of the page). "How to Collect LED Pocket Calculators," by Larry Gilbert. And, just to show there is a calculator for everyone--the Cattleman's Calculator. "With eight specially designed programs to calculate feedlot break-even, profit & loss, and more in just seconds." Amazon.com has a large selection of pocket calculators for various applications. Buy one through the Technology and the Future Bookstore. |
E-mail your tidbit suggestions to ateich@aaas.org.Search for more information about pocket calculators on:
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