English spelling: calculator; counter

Calculator generally refers to "electronic calculator", so it can be considered as the abbreviation of "electronic calculator", which was introduced into China from Japanese.

Modern Chinese Dictionary has no definition. But it can also be understood as: "A handheld machine that can perform mathematical operations has an integrated circuit chip, but its structure is simple, which is much simpler than that of a modern computer. They can be said to be the first generation of electronic computers (computers) with weak functions, but they are more convenient and cheaper, can be widely used in commercial transactions, and can also be considered as one of the necessary office supplies.

The difference between calculator and electronic computer

The biggest difference with electronic computers is that:

The calculator is just a simple calculation tool. Some models have function calculation function, and some models have certain storage function, but generally only several groups of data can be stored.

Computers have complex storage functions and control functions, which are more powerful. They are also commonly known as "computers" in China.

Characteristics of calculator

To some extent, the broad concept of "computer" includes "electronic calculator". There are also integrated circuits in electronic calculators, but the calculator has simple functions, cheaper price, portability and good stability.

The Origin and Development of Calculator

Speaking of calculators, we are proud that the earliest computing tools were born in China.

One of the earliest computing tools used in ancient China is called stratagem, also called stratagem. This scheme is mostly made of bamboo, and some are made of wood and animal bones. A bundle of about 270 yuan can be carried in a cloth bag.

The abacus, which is still in use today, is another invention in the field of ancient computing tools in China. The abacus calculation in Ming Dynasty is almost the same as that in modern times.

/kloc-At the beginning of the 0/7th century, the computing tools in western countries developed greatly. Napier, an English mathematician, invented Napier Arithmetic, and Orchard, an English priest, invented the cylindrical logarithmic slide rule. This slide rule can not only do the square root operation of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, but also calculate trigonometric function, exponential function and logarithmic function. These calculation tools not only promote the development of calculators, but also lay a good foundation for the development of modern calculators.

1642, Pascal, a great French scientist who was only 19 years old, cited the principle of abacus and invented the first mechanical calculator. There are some interlocking gears in his calculator. Turning one gear by ten positions will turn the other gear by one position. People can dial in the numbers like a telephone, and the calculation results will appear in another window, but only add and subtract. 1694, Leibniz improved it to the calculation of multiplication and division in Germany. Since then, electronic calculators did not appear until the end of 1950.

The world's first calculator

The first tool to help calculate is the abacus. There are wooden beds, tightrope walking or thin sticks. It was developed in Babylon in 3000 BC.

The first computer was invented in France in 1642, which can automatically add and subtract numbers.

At the age of only 19, scientist Brespa built it. Numbers are loaded into the calculator through the wheel. These rotate the gears in the calculator. They moved and dialed the number, and the results were displayed in a set of windows.

Brespa is a mathematician, physicist and theologian. As a teenager, he studied mathematics and cooperated with pierre de fermat. He invented the triangle to calculate the coefficients of binomial expansion. He also discovered the mechanism of easy flow, especially in fluids with equal pressure everywhere. At the age of 3 1, he had a mysterious experience and devoted himself to religion.

It has been working normally for a long time, but it can only add and subtract calculators. The first machine that can also multiply and divide was invented by German scientist Leibniz in 1694.

Mechanical calculators were used until the 1970s, and electronic computers became more popular in the 20th century.