Math to go (Math to go)

Portable calculating devices are not a recent invention. The earliest example is the abacus, used more than 4000 years ago. One of the first complex mechanical pocket calculators was the Curta, developed by Curt Herzstark in the 40s. Until the 70s, the slide rule was the standard portable calculating tool: an analogue device for carrying out basic arithmetic graphically.

The start of electronic calculators, with internal circuit and own power source, is made by Texas Instruments. She developed a first prototype in 1967. Canon became their partner and so one of the first products of this new industry came on the market with the Pocketronic model. The first manufacturers of electronic calculators came mainly from Japan.

Casio produced the Casio Mini in 1972 and caused a boom in this market segment. Texas Instruments also decided to sell their own products. In 1976 they started manufacturing the TI-30, with which they started a product series that still exists today.

The functions of the calculators increased over time. At the beginning of the era, they are limited to the four basic calculations: addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Hewlett Packard’s 1972 HP-35, which established itself as the standard product in the technical-scientific field, was able to perform trigonometric, logarithmic and exponential calculation functions. The functions of today’s calculators exceed those of the past immensely. They formed in the education and science field into an indispensable helper.