The history of calculators dates back to ancient times when people used various tools to perform calculations. However, the first calculator, as we know it today, was invented in the mid-17th century. It was a mechanical device designed to perform addition and subtraction operations. The device, called the Pascaline, was invented by French mathematician and philosopher Blaise Pascal in 1642.

Over the years, the calculator has undergone significant changes and improvements. From mechanical calculators to electronic ones, the calculator has become an essential tool for students, scientists, engineers, and professionals. However, many people wonder what the first calculator was called. While the Pascaline is considered the first calculator, it is not clear if Pascal himself gave it a name. Nonetheless, the Pascaline is a significant milestone in the history of calculators, and its invention paved the way for the development of more advanced calculating devices.

Historical Context

Calculating devices have been used for thousands of years, with the abacus being one of the earliest known devices. The abacus was invented in ancient Sumeria around 2000 BC and was used for basic arithmetic calculations. It was later adopted by the Egyptians and other civilizations, and it remained in use until the 17th century.

The first mechanical calculator was invented by Wilhelm Schickard in 1623. However, the device was not widely known or used, and it was not until the 19th century that mechanical calculators became popular. These calculators were large, bulky, and expensive, and they were used primarily by businesses and governments for accounting and other financial tasks.

In the early 20th century, electronic calculators began to emerge. The first electronic calculator was invented by James L. Weldon in 1902, but it was not until the 1960s that electronic calculators became widely available. The first all-electronic desktop calculator was the ANITA, which was developed in Britain in 1961 by Control Systems Ltd. The ANITA was marketed under the Bell Punch and Sumlock brands and was the world's first all-electronic desktop calculator.

As electronic technology continued to advance, electronic calculators became smaller, more powerful, and more affordable. The first handheld electronic calculator was the Busicom LE-120A, which was introduced in 1971. The Busicom LE-120A was the first handheld calculator to use a "calculator on a chip" integrated circuit, and it featured a 12-digit display in red LED. The calculator was expensive when it first went on sale, costing $395, but it quickly became popular and paved the way for the modern calculator.

The First Calculators

Abacus

The abacus is widely recognized as the first calculating device, and its origins date back to ancient times. This device consists of a frame with rods or wires on which beads or stones are moved to perform arithmetic operations. The earliest known abacus dates back to around 2400 BC in Sumeria. Over time, the abacus was improved and developed by various cultures, including the Chinese, Greeks, and Romans.

Antikythera Mechanism

The Antikythera Mechanism is an ancient Greek analog computer that was used to predict astronomical positions and eclipses for calendrical and astrological purposes. It is believed to have been built between 150 and 100 BC, and was discovered in 1901 in the Antikythera shipwreck off the coast of Greece. The mechanism consists of at least 30 bronze gears, and was operated by turning a hand-crank. It is considered to be the world's oldest known example of a complex geared mechanism.

While the abacus and the Antikythera Mechanism were impressive calculating devices for their time, they were not electronic calculators. The first electronic calculator was invented in the early 1960s, and was called ANITA (A New Inspiration To Arithmetic/Accounting). ANITA was the world's first all-electronic desktop calculator and was developed in Britain by Control Systems Ltd.

The Emergence of Mechanical Calculators

Pascaline

The first mechanical calculator was invented by Blaise Pascal in 1642 and was called the Pascaline. It was a hand-cranked machine that could perform addition and subtraction. The Pascaline was based on a series of gears and wheels that would turn when the user turned the crank. The machine had eight movable dials, each representing a digit from 0 to 9, and could perform addition and subtraction up to eight digits.

Despite its potential, the Pascaline had some limitations. For example, it was expensive to produce, and only a few units were made. Additionally, it could only perform addition and subtraction, which limited its usefulness. However, the Pascaline was a significant achievement in the development of mechanical calculators, and it paved the way for further advancements in the field.

Overall, the emergence of mechanical calculators marked a significant shift in the way people performed calculations. Before the invention of mechanical calculators, people relied on tools such as the abacus, which were slow and labor-intensive. With the advent of mechanical calculators, people could perform calculations much more quickly and accurately, which helped to revolutionize fields such as science, engineering, and finance.

Evolution to Electronic Calculators

Calculators have come a long way since the abacus, the first calculator used in ancient civilizations around 2000 BC by the Sumerians and adopted soon after by the Egyptians ¹. The abacus was a manual device that allowed people to perform basic arithmetic operations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

The first mechanical calculator was developed by Blaise Pascal in 1642. It was called the Pascaline and was a simple machine that could add and subtract numbers ². Over the next few centuries, many inventors and mathematicians developed more advanced mechanical calculators that could perform complex calculations.

The first electronic mortgage payment calculator massachusetts was developed in the 1960s. The first step was seen in 1961 with the arrival of ANITA (A New Inspiration To Arithmetic/Accounting). This was the world's first all-electronic desktop calculator and it was developed in Britain by Control Systems Ltd., marketed under its Bell Punch and Sumlock brands ³. The ANITA was followed by other electronic calculators such as the Sharp EL-8, the first calculator to use a single integrated circuit, and the Hewlett-Packard HP-9100A, the first programmable calculator.

The 1970s saw the introduction of pocket-sized electronic calculators. The first truly pocket-sized electronic calculator to use an LED display was the Busicom LE-120A HANDY, introduced in 1971 ¹. This calculator was followed by other pocket-sized calculators that used LED, LCD, or vacuum fluorescent displays. In the 1980s, scientific calculators were introduced that could perform advanced mathematical functions such as trigonometry and logarithms.

Today, calculators are ubiquitous and come in various forms such as desktop calculators, pocket calculators, scientific calculators, graphing calculators, and even calculators built into smartphones and computers. They have become an essential tool for students, scientists, engineers, and anyone who needs to perform calculations quickly and accurately.

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   The Evolutionary Story of the Calculator: From Then to Now ↩ ↩²
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3. The History of Calculators: Evolution of the Calculator (Timeline) ↩<
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Impact on Technology and Society<
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Preservation and Display<
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The first calculator, known as the "Abacus," was invented more than 5,000 years ago in ancient China. Since then, many different types of calculators have been invented and used around the world. While many of these early calculators have been lost to time, some have been preserved and are now on display in museums and other institutions.
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One of the most famous examples of a preserved calculator is the Antikythera mechanism, an ancient Greek device that was used to calculate astronomical positions. Discovered in 1901, the mechanism is now on display at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, Greece.
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Another example of a preserved calculator is the Pascaline, an early mechanical calculator invented by Blaise Pascal in the 17th century. Several Pascalines have been preserved and are on display in museums around the world, including the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. and the Musée des Arts et Métiers in Paris, France.
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In addition to physical displays, many early calculators are now available to view online through digital collections and virtual exhibits. For example, the British Museum has a digital collection of ancient calculators that includes a variety of abacuses, slide rules, and other early calculators. The Smithsonian National Museum of American History also has an online exhibit that features several early calculators, including the Pascaline and the Curta calculator.
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Overall, the preservation and display of early calculators is an important way to help us understand the history of mathematics and technology. By examining these early devices, we can gain a better appreciation for the ingenuity and creativity of our ancestors and the role that mathematics has played in human history.

Frequently Asked Questions<
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Who is credited with inventing the first mechanical calculator?<
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The first mechanical calculator is credited to French mathematician and philosopher Blaise Pascal. In 1642, he invented a device that could perform addition and subtraction using a series of gears and wheels.
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What is the name of the first mechanical calculator in Germany?<
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The first mechanical calculator in Germany was the "Arithmometer", invented by Charles Xavier Thomas de Colmar in 1820. It was the first commercially successful mechanical calculator and was used extensively in offices and businesses throughout Europe.
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When was the first electronic calculator developed?<
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The first electronic calculator was developed in the 1960s. The Bell Punch Company in Britain and the Friden Company in the United States both developed electronic calculators around the same time. These early electronic calculators were large, expensive, and used vacuum tubes to perform calculations.
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What year was the first handheld calculator introduced?<
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The first handheld calculator was introduced in 1971. It was called the "Cal-Tech" and was invented by Texas Instruments. The Cal-Tech was a prototype and was never released to the public, but it paved the way for the development of the first commercially successful handheld calculator, the "Pocketronic", which was introduced by Sharp in 1972.
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What were early calculators commonly referred to as?<
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Early calculators were commonly referred to as "adding machines" or "calculating machines". These machines were mechanical and used gears and levers to perform calculations. They were primarily used in businesses and offices to perform basic arithmetic.
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What is considered the oldest calculating device in history?<
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The oldest calculating device in history is the abacus. The abacus dates back to ancient times and was used by civilizations such as the Chinese, Greeks, and Romans to perform arithmetic calculations. The abacus is still used today in some parts of the world as a simple and effective way to perform calculations.