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From: ags@seaman.cc.purdue.edu (Dave Seaman)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.handhelds
Subject: Re: COMB(X,Y) function on 48sx
Message-ID: <13978@mentor.cc.purdue.edu>
Date: 25 Jun 91 22:32:23 GMT
References: <3238343@cc.sfu.ca> <1991Jun25.171406.17170@watdragon.waterloo.edu> <1991Jun25.191006.4983@schaefer.math.wisc.edu>
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Reply-To: ags@seaman.cc.purdue.edu (Dave Seaman)
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In article <1991Jun25.191006.4983@schaefer.math.wisc.edu> mueller@schaefer.UUCP (Carl Mueller) writes:

>Well, I'd say HP did the right thing.  Most people who use the COMB function
>are using it in its usual sense.  Thus the 48 SHOULD indicate that something
>is wrong if it is being fed negative or fractional values as input.  If you want
>the extended version, you can program it yourself.

Applying the same reasoning, the 48 SHOULD indicate that something is wrong if
it is fed complex values as input to functions such as SIN or LN, since most
people use these functions only on real values and they should be told when
they are probably making a mistake.  If you want the SIN of a complex
number, you can program it yourself, just like on all those ordinary
calculators.

If we keep extending this line of reasoning, we should be able to reduce the
HP48 to a simple four-function calculator.

--
Dave Seaman
ags@seaman.cc.purdue.edu