Editing Scientific calculator

{{Short description|Calculator designed to calculate problems in science, engineering, and mathematics}}
{{refimprove|date=January 2015}}
[[File:Casio fx-991DE X.JPG|thumb|Casio fx-991DE X - a modern digital calculator from Casio with a [[dot matrix]] "Natural Textbook" [[LCD]]]]
[[Image:FX-77.JPG|thumb|upright|Casio fx-77, a [[solar-powered calculator|solar-powered]] digital calculator from the 1980s using a single-line [[LCD]]]]

A '''scientific calculator''' is an [[Electronics|electronic]] [[calculator]], either desktop or handheld, designed to perform calculations using basic ([[addition]], [[subtraction]], [[multiplication]], [[Division (mathematics)|division]]) and advanced ([[Trigonometric functions|trigonometric]], [[Hyperbolic functions|hyperbolic]], etc.) mathematical [[Operation (mathematics)|operations]] and [[Function (mathematics)|functions]]. They have completely replaced [[slide rule]]s as well as books of [[mathematical table]]s and are used in both educational and professional settings.

In some areas of study and professions scientific calculators have been replaced by [[graphing calculator]]s and [[financial calculator]]s which have the capabilities of a scientific calculator along with the capability to graph input data and [[Function (mathematics)|functions]], as well as by [[numerical computing]], [[computer algebra]], statistical, and [[spreadsheet]] software packages running on [[personal computer]]s. Both desktop and mobile [[software calculator]]s can also emulate many functions of a physical scientific calculator. Standalone scientific calculators remain popular in [[secondary education|secondary]] and [[tertiary education]] because computers and smartphones are often prohibited during exams to reduce the likelihood of cheating.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Crockett |first1=Zachary |title=Is the era of the $100+ graphing calculator coming to an end? |url=https://thehustle.co/graphing-calculators-expensive/ |website=The Hustle |access-date=19 February 2024 |date=22 September 2019}}</ref>

== Functions ==
When [[electronic calculators]] were originally marketed they normally had only four or five capabilities ([[addition]], [[subtraction]], [[multiplication]], [[Division (military)|division]] and [[square root]]). Modern scientific calculators generally have many more capabilities than the original four- or five-function calculator, and the capabilities differ between manufacturers and models. 

The capabilities of a modern scientific calculator include:

* [[Scientific notation]]
* [[floating-point arithmetic|Floating-point decimal arithmetic]]
* [[Logarithm]]ic functions, using both [[Common logarithm|base 10]] and [[Natural logarithm|base {{mvar|e}}]]
* [[Trigonometry|Trigonometric]] functions (some including [[Hyperbolic function|hyperbolic trigonometry]])
* [[Exponent]]ial functions and [[nth root|root]]s beyond the [[square root]]
* Quick access to [[Mathematical constant|constants]] such as [[pi|{{pi}}]] and [[E (mathematical constant)|{{mvar|e}}]]

In addition, high-end scientific calculators generally include some or all of the following:

* [[Cursor (user interface)|Cursor]] controls to edit [[Equation|equations]] and view previous calculations (some calculators such as the ''LCD-8310'', [[badge engineered]] under both ''[[Olympia Business Systems|Olympia]]'' and ''[[United Office]]'' keep the number of the previous result on-screen for convenience while the new calculation is being entered.<ref>{{cite web |title=Nostalgia & Fun With Calculators |url=https://ludditus.com/2019/02/10/nostalgia-fun-with-calculators/ |website=Homo Ludditus |date=10 February 2019}}</ref>)
* [[Hexadecimal]], [[Binary numeral system|binary]], and [[octal]] calculations, including basic [[Boolean logic|Boolean]] mathematics
* [[Complex numbers]]
* [[Fraction (mathematics)|Fractions]] calculations
* [[Statistics]] and [[probability]] calculations
* Programmability — see [[Programmable calculator]]
* [[Equation solving]] and [[computer algebra]] 
* [[Matrix (mathematics)|Matrix calculations]]
* [[Calculus]]
* [[Letter (alphabet)|Letters]] that can be used for spelling words or including [[Variable (mathematics)|variables]] into an equation
* [[Conversion of units]]
* [[Physical constants]]
* [[Vector (mathematics and physics)|Vector calculations]]
* [[Random number generation]]

While most scientific calculators have traditionally used a single-line display similar to traditional [[pocket calculators]], many of them have more digits (10 to 12), sometimes with extra digits for the floating-point exponent.  A few have multi-line displays, with some models from [[Hewlett-Packard]], [[Texas Instruments]] (both US manufacturers), [[Casio]], [[Sharp Corporation|Sharp]], and [[Canon (company)|Canon]] (all three Japanese makers) using [[dot matrix]] displays similar to those found on [[graphing calculator]]s.

== Uses ==
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| image1            = TI-30XIIS.JPG
| image2            = TI-84 Plus graphing.jpg
| footer            = ''Left:'' Texas Instruments [[TI-30X]] IIS calculator with a two-tier LCD. The upper dot-matrix area can display input formulae and symbols.<br> ''Right:'' The [[TI-84 Plus series|TI-84 Plus]]—a typical graphing calculator by Texas Instruments
}}
Scientific calculators are used widely in situations that require quick access to certain mathematical functions, especially those that were once looked up in [[Mathematical table|mathematical tables]], such as [[trigonometric functions]] or [[Logarithm|logarithms]].  They are also used for calculations of very large or very small numbers, as in some aspects of [[astronomy]], [[physics]], and [[chemistry]].

They are very often required for math classes from the [[Junior High School|junior high school]] level through [[college]],<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qXcKxLC6qE8C |title=The State of Mathematics Achievement: NAEP's 1990 Assessment of the Nation and the Trial Assessment of the States |date=1991 |publisher=The Center |isbn=978-0-16-033144-2 |language=en}}</ref> and are generally either permitted or required on many [[standardized test]]s covering math and science subjects;<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Review |first1=Princeton |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oiiw4CCNm9gC |title=Cracking the SAT Math 1 & 2 Subject Tests,: 2013-2014 Edition |last2=Spaihts |first2=Jonathan |date=2013-03-05 |publisher=Random House Information Group |isbn=978-0-307-94554-9 |language=en}}</ref> as a result, many are sold into educational markets to cover this demand, and some high-end models include features making it easier to translate a problem on a textbook page into calculator input, e.g. by providing a method to enter an entire problem in as it is written on the page using simple formatting tools.

==History==
[[File:HP-35 Red Dot.jpg|left|thumb|120px|[[HP-35]], the world's first scientific pocket calculator, was introduced in 1972 by Hewlett-Packard. It used [[reverse Polish notation]] and an [[LED]] display.]]
[[File:Texas Instruments SR-50.jpg|right|thumb|120px|[[TI SR-50]]]]

The first scientific calculator that included all of the basic ideas above was the programmable Hewlett-Packard [[Hewlett-Packard 9100A|HP-9100A]],<ref>[http://www.hpmuseum.org/hp9100.htm HP-9100A/B at hpmuseum.org]</ref> released in 1968, though the [[Wang Laboratories|Wang]] LOCI-2 and the Mathatronics Mathatron<ref>{{cite journal|title=across the editor's desk: COMPUTING AND DATA PROCESSING NEWSLETTER - THE MATHATRON|journal=Computers and Automation|date=Mar 1964|volume=XIII|issue=3|page=43|url=http://bitsavers.org/magazines/Computers_And_Automation/196403.pdf|access-date=2020-09-05}}</ref> had some features later identified with scientific calculator designs. The HP-9100 series was built entirely from discrete [[transistor]] logic with no [[integrated circuit]]s, and was one of the first uses of the [[CORDIC]] algorithm for trigonometric computation in a personal computing device, as well as the first calculator based on [[reverse Polish notation]] (RPN) entry. HP became closely identified with RPN calculators from then on, and even today some of their high-end calculators (particularly the long-lived [[HP-12C]] financial calculator and the [[HP-48]] series of [[Graphing calculator|graphing calculators]]) still offer RPN as their default input mode due to having garnered a very large following.

The [[HP-35]], introduced on February 1, 1972, was Hewlett-Packard's first [[pocket calculator]] and the world's first handheld scientific calculator.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20100408001406/http://www.ieee.org/about/news/2009/14april_1.html HP-35 Scientific Calculator Awarded IEEE Milestone]</ref> Like some of HP's desktop calculators it used RPN. Introduced at US$395, the HP-35 was available from 1972 to 1975.

Texas Instruments (TI), after the production of several units with [[scientific notation]], introduced a handheld scientific calculator on January 15, 1974, in the form of the [[TI SR-50|SR-50]].<ref>[http://datamath.org/SCI/WEDGE/sr-50.htm SR-50 page at datamath.org]</ref> TI's long-running [[TI-30]] series being one of the most widely used scientific calculators in classrooms.

[[Casio]], [[Canon Inc.|Canon]], and [[Sharp Corporation|Sharp]], produced their   graphing  calculators, with Casio's FX series (beginning with the Casio FX-1 in 1972<ref>[http://www.oldcalculatormuseum.com/casiofx1.html Casio FX-1 Desktop Scientific Calculator<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>). Casio was the first company to produce a Graphing calculator ([[Casio fx-7000G]]).

==See also==
* [[Formula calculator]]
* [[Calculator input methods]]
* [[Software calculator|Software calculators]]
* [[Mathematical software]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{commons category|Scientific calculators}}

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