Going back, man has from time immemorial tried to figure out ways to make basic mathematical calculations simple and easy. His quest resulted in the abacus first, then the slide rule, then the monstrous old calculator that slowly transformed into the modern electronic version today. The sleek and slim device you hold now is the result of years of improving and upgrading.
Today, everyone from students to office staff use calculators extensively. Ranging from the basic to the sophisticated, sleek to the smart, it comes in all shapes and sizes. What’s more it’s an excellent gift for students.
Parts of a basic modern calculator
A calculator has a display screen usually made of liquid crystal (LCD) or LED lights typically capable of showing 8 or 10 digits. There is a keypad containing the ten digits from 0 to 9 apart from decimal point, equals sign and signs for addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, On and off buttons, Cancel button, square root and percentage signs. There is a power source, such as a battery or a solar panel or both and electronic circuitry.
Choose your calculator type
Shopping for a calculator is no cause for confusion, as you should go for one that meets your needs. Depending on their capabilities and uses, calculators can be divided into the following 5 types.
Display Calculators – Display calculators like the LS121TS 12 Digit Calculator are the most basic and widely used as they are ideal for simple math like adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing. They also have a little memory to store results. Powered by solar cells, these calculators have an LCD display and are also very affordable.
Scientific Calculators – Scientific calculators like the Citizen Scientific Calculator with 2 line display are mainly for school and college students. More advanced than basic calculators, they boast more memory. They are capable of more functions and they offer handy shortcuts for statistics, conversions, fractions, exponents, substitute algebra, trigonometric ratios, solve equations, scientific notation, probability and some even support graph.
Graphing Calculators – Graphing calculators are much more advanced than scientific calculators so they feature more functions. They come with greater memories and are capable of storing and performing graph equations. So they have a bigger screen to display graphs.
Programmable Calculators – These can be programmed just like computers and can be grouped under graphing calculators. You can write and store programs in these calculators in order to simplify a complex procedure or solve tough problems. An example from Getprice’s range is the Sharp EL5250 Advanced Programmable Scientific Calculator.
Financial Calculators – Financial calculators have the specific purpose of financial calculations. A good example is the Sharp EL733A 10 Digit Financial Calculator with Wallet.
Printing Calculators – Printing calculators as the name suggests, come with built-in printers to print the results of calculations like the Sharp EL1611P 12 Digit Portable Printing Calculator. These come with a display screen as well as a paper roll on which figures can be printed.
Solar Calculators – Most basic calculators these days use solar cells rather than old-fashioned batteries. Solar cells are also called photovoltaic cells and they convert sunlight into electrical energy. These cells, made of silicon, absorb a portion of the light that falls on them which discharges electrons and creates an electrical current that powers the calculator.
Computer Attachable Calculators – These can be plugged into your desktop computers or laptops like the USB Pocket Keypad Calculator By Kensington. You can use both simultaneously too.
Touchscreen Calculators – There are smarter calculators with touchscreen like the 50 x Touchscreen Calculators with Alarm Clock, Calendar and Travel Case .
We hope that the above information will help you select a Calculator with the required features from the various brands available at Getprice.
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