Editing Curta (section)

{{short description|Mechanical pocket calculator}}
{{otheruses}}
{{Infobox calculator
|name=Curta
|image=File:Curta - National Museum of Computing.jpg
|alt=Curta Type II mechanical calculator
|caption=Curta Type II mechanical calculator
|type=[[Mechanical calculator]]
|manufacturer=Contina AG Mauren
|introduced=1948 (Type I){{br}}1954 (Type II)
|discontinued=1972
|invent-name=[[Curt Herzstark]]
|precision=11 digits (Type I){{br}}15 digits (Type II)
|invent-date=1930s
|display_size=6-digit revolution counter, 11-digit result counter (Type I){{br}}8-digit revolution counter, 15-digit result counter (Type II)
|cost=$125 (Type I){{br}}$165 (Type II)
|display_type=[[Mechanical counter]]|weight={{cvt|230|g|oz}} (Type I){{br}}{{cvt|360|g|oz}} (Type II)}}

[[File:Curta type I-CnAM 40092-IMG 6721-white.jpg|thumb|Curta Type I, on display at the [[Musée des Arts et Métiers]], Paris.]]
[[File:Curtadsasm.JPG|thumb|upright=1.8|A partially disassembled Curta calculator, showing the digit slides and the stepped drum behind them]]
[[File:Curta calculator.jpg|thumb|Curta Type I calculator, top view]]
[[File:Curta03.JPG|thumb|Curta Type I calculator, bottom view]]

The '''Curta''' is a hand-held [[mechanical calculator]] designed by [[Curt Herzstark]].<ref name="Stoll"/> It is known for its extremely compact design: a small cylinder that fits in the palm of the hand. It was affectionately known as the "pepper grinder" or "peppermill" due to its shape and means of operation; its superficial resemblance to a certain type of [[hand grenade]] also earned it the nickname "math grenade".<ref>{{cite magazine |date= September 2011 |title= ICES Insight |url= http://www.ices.dk/sites/pub/Publication%20Reports/ICES%20Insight/INSIGHTWEB2011.pdf#page=13 |publisher= International Council for the Exploration of the Sea |magazine= ICES Insight |volume= 48 |page= 13 |isbn= 978-87-7482-097-0 |accessdate= 25 August 2015 |archive-date= 3 March 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160303163943/http://www.ices.dk/sites/pub/Publication%20Reports/ICES%20Insight/INSIGHTWEB2011.pdf#page=13 |url-status= dead}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=April 2025}}

Curtas were considered the best portable calculators available until they were displaced by electronic calculators in the 1970s.<ref name="Stoll"/>