Prehistoric Graphing Calculators

In the beginning, the earth was totally devoid of calculators, graphing or otherwise. Prehistoric man had only his fingers and toes to count stuff. Fortunately, prehistoric man didn't have much stuff, and so, his limited method of calculation was sufficient and he was happy.

Then came the ice age. The survival of prehistoric man now depended upon warm clothing, hunting prowess and the ability to store food. Stuff began to accumulate. Prehistoric man soon realized that he needed a way to keep track of this stuff and primitive calculation was born.

Graphing Calculators and Advancing Civilization

Time passed and life changed. Early man built huts, kept livestock and tended gardens. As more and more stuff was acquired, pebbles and twigs, plus fingers and toes, were needed to keep count. Time also brought "civilization." Tribes became villages, villages became towns, and, as early man began to interact with his neighbors, a new idea emerged. Man soon realized that he could get what he did not have from his neighbors by trading his stuff for their stuff. While mutually beneficial, this exchange also created the need to keep track of the stuff that was traded. Calculation was fast becoming an integral part of "civilized" life.

Stone and clay gave way to bronze and gold and man began to develop an appetite for stuff. Stuff meant influence and power, but, more stuff meant that man would need a more efficient way to keep track of it. To meet this need, the first external calculating device, a stone and sand abacus, was developed in Mesopotamia in 2400 BC. By the first century AD, the abacus was made of beads on wires was widely used throughout the Roman Empire, and in Greece, Egypt, China, and India. Markets grew rapidly as large quantities of stuff moved along trade routes. Calculation methods, however, were slow to keep pace. It took nearly 1500 years to catch up.

In ancient Europe, mathematical problems were calculated manually, sometimes taking up to a year to solve. The speed of calculation finally began to improve when a German inventor, Wilhelm Schickard, built the first mechanical calculator in 1623. Called the Calculating Clock, it consisted of a multiplying device, a mechanism for recording intermediate results, and a device for adding and subtracting 6-decimal numbers using a system of interlocking gears. The science of mechanical calculation marched onward, and in 1642 an adding/subtracting machine, The Pascaline, was developed in France by Blaise Pascal to help deal with tax records…the tax collector cometh, even then.

In 1773, Phillip Hahn, a German clock maker, developed the first functional cylindrical calculator to help determine parameters for his clocks and planetariums. It was not until 1820, however, that a commercially produced mechanical calculator able to add, subtract, multiply, and divide was introduced. Advancements followed rapidly and the mechanical calculator, once a high-price curiosity for the rich, reached widespread availability in less than 100 years.

The Modern Age of Graphing Calculators

The industrial revolution of the 19th century brought significant changes to mechanical calculation. Market availability increased and the size of the calculator decreased as the mechanism itself changed from cylinders, levers and gears to push button keys. In 1902, mechanical calculation arrived in America with the invention of the Dalton Adding Machine featuring a push-button user interface. This was followed by a dramatic lull.

Once again, technology was unable to keep pace with ingenuity. Calculator development slowed until 1954 when the invention of silicon transistors made miniaturization possible. The birth of modern electronics was at hand. In June 1963, the Friden EC-130 all transistor calculator was manufactured in the US. Its revolutionary design included a stack of four 13-digit numbers, a 5-inch CRT display, and the first reverse Polish notation. The technology of calculation sped forward at an amazing pace. LED displays were replaced by LCD, disposable batteries became re-chargeable and then were replaced by solar power, integrated circuits (microchips) increased functionality, and calculation evolved from a simple mathematical tool to an intricate art form.

From the sticks and stones of ancient cave dwellers to the multi-functional capabilities of modern graphing calculators, technology continues to expand man's ability to manage stuff. From graphing the slopes of lines in a pre-calculus class to creating business applications like graphing weather statistics and market trends to programming popular games, the options are virtually endless. Investigate the possibilities and enjoy the results, but when you've finished with your old friend, the graphing calculator, contact us at sellyourcalculators.com for a buy-back estimate. We want to be the buy-back destination for your old graphing calculator.