AKA: CALCULATORS, from the abacus... to the electronic calculator,
Date of intro: dec-1972,
Classification: / Documentation / Article,
Related with: CANON: LE10 (version-1), CANON: LE10 (version-2), CANON: Pocketronic, FRIDEN: 1117A, HP_calcs: 9820A (version-1), MICRO INSTRUMENTATION & TELEMETRY SYSTEMS (MITS): 7400A, MICRO INSTRUMENTATION & TELEMETRY SYSTEMS (MITS): 7400B, MICRO INSTRUMENTATION & TELEMETRY SYSTEMS (MITS): 7400C,
Publisher-1: RADIO ELECTRONICS, Publisher-2: MIMS Forrest,
Info: The article explains how electronic calculators evolved from humanity's earliest counting methods into the advanced pocket calculators of the early 1970s.
It shows that today's calculators are the result of thousands of years of mathematical and technological progress.
The earliest calculators:
The first digital calculator was the human hand, which is why the numbers 0–9 are called digits. Later, people developed the abacus, one of the oldest calculating devices, which allowed much faster arithmetic than finger counting.
Mechanical calculating machines:
During the 17th century, inventors such as PASCAL Blaise and LEIBNIZ Gottfried created mechanical calculators that could perform addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. In the 19th century, BABBAGE Charles designed the revolutionary Analytical Engine, a machine that included many concepts used in modern computers, such as memory, a control unit, and programmable operations.
Although it was never completed, it became the foundation of digital computing.
From computers to electronic calculators:
The article describes how early electronic computers, including UNIVAC in 1951, were enormous, expensive machines used by governments and businesses.
Advances in transistors and integrated circuits gradually reduced the size and cost of electronic equipment, making calculators practical for everyday users.
Pocket calculators:
By the early 1970s, manufacturers had introduced compact calculators with LED displays, electronic memory, and increasingly sophisticated functions.
Competition between companies rapidly lowered prices while improving performance, allowing calculators to become consumer products instead of specialized business machines.
Build-it-yourself calculators:
The article also highlights the growing popularity of calculator kits.
Companies such as HEATHKIT and MITS sold kits that allowed electronics enthusiasts to assemble their own working calculators, making the new technology both educational and affordable.
Main message:
The article presents the electronic calculator as a milestone in the history of computing.
It argues that advances in transistors, integrated circuits, and semiconductor technology transformed calculating devices from simple mechanical tools into compact, reliable, and affordable electronic instruments that would soon become part of everyday life.