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Wish this had existed in school

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  • Greg UtasG Greg Utas

    That's definitely an "in" joke. Even when slide rules were used, not that many people had to use them. Maybe he used it as a litmus test to see who got it.

    Robust Services Core | Software Techniques for Lemmings | Articles

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    Daniel Pfeffer
    wrote on last edited by
    #13

    The point being that slide rules were not used for addition/subtraction - only for multiplication/division, power/root, exponential/log, and trigonometry.

    Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows. -- 6079 Smith W.

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    • Greg UtasG Greg Utas

      I started high school with a slide rule and finished with an HP-45 calculator. I didn't think it could get much better. :laugh:

      Robust Services Core | Software Techniques for Lemmings | Articles

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      MarkTJohnson
      wrote on last edited by
      #14

      High school was Sept 1980- June 1984 Chemistry in 1983 even though we had calculators the chemistry teachers required us to use slide rules. I got to use my Dad's, he was an electrical engineer, had to be VERY careful with it.

      Greg UtasG H 2 Replies Last reply
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      • M MarkTJohnson

        High school was Sept 1980- June 1984 Chemistry in 1983 even though we had calculators the chemistry teachers required us to use slide rules. I got to use my Dad's, he was an electrical engineer, had to be VERY careful with it.

        Greg UtasG Offline
        Greg UtasG Offline
        Greg Utas
        wrote on last edited by
        #15

        High school was Sept 1970 to June 1974. Chemistry was also where the slide rule or calculator got used the most. But slide rules weren't mandated and very few students used one. The HP-45 came out in 1973.

        Robust Services Core | Software Techniques for Lemmings | Articles

        <p><a href="https://github.com/GregUtas/robust-services-core/blob/master/README.md">Robust Services Core</a>
        <em>The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing.</em></p>

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        • J Jorgen Andersson

          Well, in those times mobile phones had antennas. Download Microsoft Math Solver | Step-by-step math problem solver[^]

          Wrong is evil and must be defeated. - Jeff Ello

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          Amarnath S
          wrote on last edited by
          #16

          Jörgen Andersson wrote:

          With this had existed in school

          On the contrary, I'm happy this did not exist in school. Would have made us more dumb, don't you feel so? Yes, it would have reduced our effort in solving problems, but would not have developed our thinking faculties, and also problem solving abilities, isn't it?

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          • A Amarnath S

            Jörgen Andersson wrote:

            With this had existed in school

            On the contrary, I'm happy this did not exist in school. Would have made us more dumb, don't you feel so? Yes, it would have reduced our effort in solving problems, but would not have developed our thinking faculties, and also problem solving abilities, isn't it?

            J Offline
            J Offline
            Jorgen Andersson
            wrote on last edited by
            #17

            You're quite right. Let me rephrase: I would have wished this had existed when I were in school. Because like everyone else (well, mostly) I'm a lazy bastard. But yes, it would have made made me more stupid, like the kids today. :)

            Wrong is evil and must be defeated. - Jeff Ello

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            • Greg UtasG Greg Utas

              I started high school with a slide rule and finished with an HP-45 calculator. I didn't think it could get much better. :laugh:

              Robust Services Core | Software Techniques for Lemmings | Articles

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              M Offline
              Member_14708186
              wrote on last edited by
              #18

              It could! Some of us used Texas TI-51. So there, HP-freak :-) ...

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              • J Jorgen Andersson

                Well, in those times mobile phones had antennas. Download Microsoft Math Solver | Step-by-step math problem solver[^]

                Wrong is evil and must be defeated. - Jeff Ello

                S Offline
                S Offline
                Stefan_Lang
                wrote on last edited by
                #19

                Jörgen Andersson wrote:

                Well, in those times mobile phones had antennas.

                In those times they were called 'Walkie Talkie'[^]. I liked that name - in fact I find it would fit mobiles today even better ;)

                GOTOs are a bit like wire coat hangers: they tend to breed in the darkness, such that where there once were few, eventually there are many, and the program's architecture collapses beneath them. (Fran Poretto)

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                • Greg UtasG Greg Utas

                  I started high school with a slide rule and finished with an HP-45 calculator. I didn't think it could get much better. :laugh:

                  Robust Services Core | Software Techniques for Lemmings | Articles

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                  S Offline
                  Stefan_Lang
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #20

                  Same for me, only I ended up with a RPN[^] calculator, the Omron 12SR[^]

                  GOTOs are a bit like wire coat hangers: they tend to breed in the darkness, such that where there once were few, eventually there are many, and the program's architecture collapses beneath them. (Fran Poretto)

                  Greg UtasG 1 Reply Last reply
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                  • F Forogar

                    I went through all school including high school equivalent with a book of log tables! No fancy slide-rule technology for me - never mind a calculator!

                    - I would love to change the world, but they won’t give me the source code.

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                    Mike Winiberg
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #21

                    Me too! Started Uni with a double-scale slide rule, finished with some weird 12 digit calculator which only had a 6 digit display!. Went all the way through school (until my last year) using my father's old 7 figure log tables. Still got them: showed them to a class of 14 year old IT students recently - they'd never even heard of them!

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                    • Greg UtasG Greg Utas

                      High school was Sept 1970 to June 1974. Chemistry was also where the slide rule or calculator got used the most. But slide rules weren't mandated and very few students used one. The HP-45 came out in 1973.

                      Robust Services Core | Software Techniques for Lemmings | Articles

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                      J Offline
                      jsc42
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #22

                      Old style UK 'O' Levels - we had log tables. 'A' Level Chemistry - allowed to upgrade to slide rules. Log tables are easier and more accurate. Was given a calculator (TI-57 Programmable) for my 18th birthday.

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                      • Greg UtasG Greg Utas

                        Here's a refresher[^]. :laugh:

                        Robust Services Core | Software Techniques for Lemmings | Articles

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                        M Offline
                        Mike Winiberg
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #23

                        Blimey, I have an almost exact 'clone' of that rule made by Faber Castell - it's the one I used through 6th Form and most of Uni...

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                        • M Mark_Wallace

                          I found one of my old slide rules a few months ago. I couldn't remember how to use it :sigh:

                          I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!

                          A Offline
                          A Offline
                          Alister Morton
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #24

                          I had a circular slide rule - fitted neatly in the inside pocket and was easier to use than a linear 6" rule.

                          M 1 Reply Last reply
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                          • A Alister Morton

                            I had a circular slide rule - fitted neatly in the inside pocket and was easier to use than a linear 6" rule.

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                            Mark_Wallace
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #25

                            I saw those in the uni shop and was tempted, but I was on student money and had to pinch pennies. But when you can buy a boxload without feeling it, you don't need them any more :(

                            I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!

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                            • M Mark_Wallace

                              I found one of my old slide rules a few months ago. I couldn't remember how to use it :sigh:

                              I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!

                              B Offline
                              B Offline
                              Besinger
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #26

                              I've got an old ROUND slide rule my father used when he was an engineer at Bendix!

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                              • Greg UtasG Greg Utas

                                Here's a refresher[^]. :laugh:

                                Robust Services Core | Software Techniques for Lemmings | Articles

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                                DJ van Wyk
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #27

                                That is a lot of reading. Where is the 30 second YouTube video? ;P

                                My plan is to live forever ... so far so good

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                                • S Stefan_Lang

                                  Same for me, only I ended up with a RPN[^] calculator, the Omron 12SR[^]

                                  GOTOs are a bit like wire coat hangers: they tend to breed in the darkness, such that where there once were few, eventually there are many, and the program's architecture collapses beneath them. (Fran Poretto)

                                  Greg UtasG Offline
                                  Greg UtasG Offline
                                  Greg Utas
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #28

                                  HP calculators were (are?) also RPN.

                                  Robust Services Core | Software Techniques for Lemmings | Articles

                                  <p><a href="https://github.com/GregUtas/robust-services-core/blob/master/README.md">Robust Services Core</a>
                                  <em>The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing.</em></p>

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                                  • J Jorgen Andersson

                                    Well, in those times mobile phones had antennas. Download Microsoft Math Solver | Step-by-step math problem solver[^]

                                    Wrong is evil and must be defeated. - Jeff Ello

                                    E Offline
                                    E Offline
                                    englebart
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #29

                                    If you are helping your children with math you have not seen in 20+ years, I found Alpha Wolfram (free edition) incredibly helpful. On some problems, the free version would not show all of the intermediate steps, but you could at least find the correct answer.

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                                    • Greg UtasG Greg Utas

                                      HP calculators were (are?) also RPN.

                                      Robust Services Core | Software Techniques for Lemmings | Articles

                                      S Offline
                                      S Offline
                                      Stefan_Lang
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #30

                                      Now that you mention it, at the time when I had that Omron (around 1980), there was one HP model around that at least one of the other students used. But most were using TI caluclators with direct input and brackets. I believe RPN was all but forgotten by the time I went to university (1984). That's when I got my first programmable pocket calculator, with a whopping 10 KB memory (quite a lot when you take into consideration this was still the high time of the 8 bit home computers)

                                      GOTOs are a bit like wire coat hangers: they tend to breed in the darkness, such that where there once were few, eventually there are many, and the program's architecture collapses beneath them. (Fran Poretto)

                                      Greg UtasG 1 Reply Last reply
                                      0
                                      • S Stefan_Lang

                                        Now that you mention it, at the time when I had that Omron (around 1980), there was one HP model around that at least one of the other students used. But most were using TI caluclators with direct input and brackets. I believe RPN was all but forgotten by the time I went to university (1984). That's when I got my first programmable pocket calculator, with a whopping 10 KB memory (quite a lot when you take into consideration this was still the high time of the 8 bit home computers)

                                        GOTOs are a bit like wire coat hangers: they tend to breed in the darkness, such that where there once were few, eventually there are many, and the program's architecture collapses beneath them. (Fran Poretto)

                                        Greg UtasG Offline
                                        Greg UtasG Offline
                                        Greg Utas
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #31

                                        It didn't take long to get used to RPN, and then I hated other calculators. What's with these stupid parentheses buttons?! And the first time I saw a parser and stack for interpreting arithmetic expressions in Comp Sci class, it was like deja vu.

                                        Robust Services Core | Software Techniques for Lemmings | Articles

                                        <p><a href="https://github.com/GregUtas/robust-services-core/blob/master/README.md">Robust Services Core</a>
                                        <em>The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing.</em></p>

                                        K S 2 Replies Last reply
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                                        • J Jorgen Andersson

                                          Well, in those times mobile phones had antennas. Download Microsoft Math Solver | Step-by-step math problem solver[^]

                                          Wrong is evil and must be defeated. - Jeff Ello

                                          A Offline
                                          A Offline
                                          agolddog
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #32

                                          Nah, solving the equation yourself is actually the fun of math.

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