Evolution of the Calculators
In the time when people did not have devices to use to solve mathematical equations, they used fingers and toes to count, as well as rocks, shells, wooden pieces, etc. However, using their fingers, toes and other improvised counting devices, people were limited and couldn’t get very far. Consequently, people started to think outside the box and invented the abacus, the world’s oldest continuously used calculating tool. Abacus is still in use today, but not as much as in its prime time. The calculating devices have evolved radically over the years, so here we are, today we have online calculators dealers in every country, offering a variety of innovative calculators. Let’s go through the evolution of the calculators and remind ourselves on some of the most notable calculating devices.
1623: Calculating Clock – The First Adding Machine
The Calculating Clock is the first adding machine, supposedly invented by Wilhelm Schickard. The drawings of this machine were discovered in two letters, written in Latin by Wilhelm and addressed to Johannes Kepler in 1623. After this invention, Blaise Pascal developed the Pascaline, which was regarded as the first adding machine. However, the Schickard’s adding machine featured a multiplying device, a mechanism for recording intermediate results and a 6-digit decimal adding device.
1773 – The First Functional Calculator
Philipp Matthaus Hahn has taken the design of the “Stepped Reckoner” (an invention from 1672) calculating machine to another level and designed the first functional calculator. This invention was able to calculate the parameters of clocks and planetariums that Philip loved making. Hahn’s calculating device used a set of 12 drums, arranged in a circle, which were activated by a crank – located at the axis of the drums.
1954: IBM 608 – The First All-Transistor Calculator
IBM 608 is the first all-transistor calculator, which means it used over 3,000 solid-state transistors. After all those unreliable calculating machines, IBM has manufactured this gigantic device. Housed in few large cabinets, the IBM 608 required a big investment, whether as a purchase or rent. The main memory of this calculator had a capacity of 40 9-digit numbers and it is able to perform about 4,5000 additions in a second.
1967: Cal Tech – The First Handheld Calculator
Ever since the invention of the first handheld calculator, Texas Instruments is among the most reliable online calculators brands. Cal Tech was the first calculator with size that able to fit a pocket and became widely available in 1970. This lightweight and compact calculator featured a small 18-keys keyboard and a 12-decimal digit visual.
2010: Sharp EL-9650 – The First Color Graphing Calculator
Casio has invented the first graphing calculator in 1985 and designed a lot of popular online calculators, but what made the difference is the first color graphing calculator in 2010. Casio PRIZM is the most advanced type of calculator in the history. The world of mobile phones has evolved to full-color screens in the beginning of the 2000s, but the graphing calculators have taken more time. With a 216×384 full-color display and a plenty of innovative features, Casio PRIZM is the best invention in the world of online calculators.
