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From: larry@kitty.UUCP (Larry Lippman)
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: Architecture behind "early" electronic calculators
Message-ID: <1893@kitty.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 30-Jul-87 00:17:48 EDT
Article-I.D.: kitty.1893
Posted: Thu Jul 30 00:17:48 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 1-Aug-87 02:39:06 EDT
Organization: Recognition Research Corp., Clarence, NY
Lines: 23
Keywords: electronic calculators, method of operation


	While I have always had a keen interest in the history and development
of computers, and have collected and read many books on the topic, there is
one area which I have never seen mentioned: the early electronic calculator.
By "early", I am referring to 1966 and prior years.
	My first electronic calculator experience was a Wang scientific
calculator in 1965.  At the time, this was an impressive device that not
only performed regular operations like +,-,*,/ and sqrt, but did an
extensive amount of exponential, logarithmic and trigonometric functions.
Furthermore, Wang had a version in which one "cpu" (for lack of a better
term) supported up to 3 "terminals" on a time sharing basis.
	Does anyone know the architecture behind these Wang calculators?
Did they operate using some form of stored program control, and hence
a "software" algorithm for these exponential, log and trig functions?
Or did they have dedicated hardware logic for each mathematical function?
	Also beginning in 1965, I extensively used a Friden calculator
which had a four-line CRT and performed only +,-,*,/ and sqrt.  Does anyone
know the architecture behind this early calculator?

<>  Larry Lippman @ Recognition Research Corp., Clarence, New York
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