Electronic Calculators—Handheld
americanhistory.si.edu
In the course of the 1970s, handheld electronic calculators transformed the way tens of millions of people did arithmetic. Engineers abandoned slide rules, business people gave up desktop calculating machines, and shoppers replaced simple adding machines and adders.
  • 9point6@lemmy.worldEnglish
    33·
    3 months ago

    And in 1990, Texas Instruments basically invented the last one as far as education is concerned

    • eeltech@lemmy.worldEnglish
      7·
      3 months ago

      Does the TI monopoly extend to other states? Guess I never thought about it before, but was almost excited to see Casio’s could potentially be used elsewhere

        • naticus@lemmy.worldEnglish
          4·
          3 months ago

          Yeah I basically ignored my teacher’s suggestions and bought an HP instead because I really liked the Reverse Polish Notation it defaults to. I could do everything the TI could do and in fewer key presses. Took some learning though. Had the side benefit that no one would ever want to borrow it because they couldn’t even do 1 + 1 in RPN.

        • wjrii@lemmy.worldEnglish
          1·
          3 months ago

          TI-85 for me and most of my classmates. Years under us used 82’s, IIRC. My buddy had a ginormous TI-92, though.

      • kernelle@lemmy.worldEnglish
        3·
        3 months ago

        It extends all the way to europe, TI-84’s were a must and still are. They sell that relic for around €100 still.

    • cum@lemmy.cafeEnglish
      4·
      3 months ago

      Yeah before that I heard they were using trumpets to do their math

    • technojamin@lemmy.worldEnglish
      3·
      3 months ago

      I felt like such a rebel with my Casio in high school. It was so much faster, had a better screen, and had way more features.

  • fubarx@lemmy.mlEnglish
    3·
    3 months ago

    Our kid’s math teacher put up a slide for the parents telling them a lot of school districts mandated the TI, but not our district. He put up a second slide with specs on the Casio for 1/8th the price, then announced if families couldn’t afford even that, he had a bunch to loan out for the term.