A Calculating Experience
September 9, 2010 | Tom Tritton
My first experience with an electronic calculator was in 1969 as a senior in college. The chemistry department bought a Hewlett-Packard device for about $3000. It had a tiny CRT display and its only capability was simple arithmetic using four registers and reverse Polish notation.
And although this beast was larger and heavier than today’s modern PC, every student clamored to use it for our lab calculations to spare the agony of the slide rule, or worse—paper and pencil numeric labor.
Over the last 40 years calculators have become smaller, cheaper, more powerful, and totally ubiquitous. But a scientist’s first calculator is akin to a first kiss for most people—alluring, evocative, and sensual. So I still remember that ancient HP with more fondness than all the other calculators and computers I’ve owned and used since.
And now (naturally) there is a Web site—a virtual museum—that is a celebration of hand-held electronic calculators. To be exact, the compilation displays 583 calculators from 128 brands. The obvious biggies like HP and Texas Instruments are missing but the display of lesser models impresses with sheer variety.
The calculator assemblage is actually the personal odyssey of a single person—Emil Dudek. He has dedicated himself to the golden age of calculators (the 1970s) and has painstakingly dissected each and every one of the models on display. There is detailed electronic and descriptive information for each, a veritable treasure trove for the aficionado.
So check it out yourself and fondly recall the many hours you spent making laborious calculations a bit more bearable with one of these wondrous devices.