The calculator is the earliest calculation tool. For example, the Quipu (Khipu) is a knotted rope method used by the ancient Incas to count or record history. It is made of many colored knots. There are also the Antikythera Device of the ancient Greeks, the Chinese abacus, etc.
At the beginning of the 17th century, calculation tools in Western countries had developed greatly. The British mathematician Napier invented the "Napier arithmetic", and the British priest Ochard invented the cylindrical logarithm arithmetic. This kind of slide rule can not only do addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, exponentiation, and square root operations, but can even calculate trigonometric functions, exponential functions, and logarithmic functions.
These computing tools not only promoted the development of calculators, but also laid a good foundation for the development of modern calculators, becoming widely used computing tools in modern society.
In 1642, the great French scientist Pascaline, who was only 19 years old, invented the first mechanical calculator. People could dial the numbers in like a telephone dial, and the calculation result would be Appears in another window, but can only perform addition and subtraction calculations. In 1694, Leibniz improved it in Germany so that it could perform multiplication and division calculations.
In the 19th century, Babbage pushed the concept of computing tools even further and attempted to create the first programmable calculator, but the machine he built was too heavy to operate. Starting in the 1970s, microprocessor technology was absorbed into the calculator manufacturing process. The original microprocessor was produced by Intel in 1971 for a Japanese calculator company called Busicom. In 1972, HP launched the first handheld scientific calculator. HP-35.
Extended information:
Calculator classification:
1. Arithmetic calculator. It can perform four simple arithmetic operations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. It is also called a simple calculator. Generally, they are physical calculators
2. Scientific calculators. It can perform operations such as exponentiation, square root, exponent, logarithm, trigonometric function, statistics, etc. It is also called a function calculator. It can be software or physical objects.
3. Programmer’s calculator. A calculator specially designed for programmers, supporting the most basic AND or NOT operations, XOR AND NAND operations and shift operation budget (arithmetic left shift, arithmetic shift right, logical left shift, logical right shift).
4. Statistical calculator. Designed calculators, either software or physical, designed for those with statistical requirements. ?
Baidu Encyclopedia - Calculator
Baidu Encyclopedia - Electronic Calculator