The original handheld (digital) calculator.

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the Curta calculator, its design, historical significance, and various opinions on its functionality and aesthetics. Participants express admiration for the mechanical design, compare it to other calculating devices, and engage in light-hearted banter about its size and potential uses.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express admiration for the Curta calculator's design and engineering, describing it as a "mechanical beauty."
  • Others mention the high cost of acquiring a Curta calculator, with some expressing a desire to own one despite financial constraints.
  • A participant humorously suggests that the Curta could serve as both a calculator and a self-defense tool.
  • There is a comparison between the Curta and the abacus, with some participants questioning the relevance of the abacus in the context of handheld calculators.
  • Some participants joke about the calculator's size and its potential as a bludgeoning tool, while others clarify its actual dimensions.
  • Discussion includes a playful suggestion for a dual-function calculator that could also sharpen pencils.
  • One participant mentions the ENIAC as a contrasting example of a large calculating machine, prompting a discussion about the elegance of the Curta's design.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the aesthetic appeal and engineering of the Curta calculator, but there are differing opinions on its practicality and comparisons to other devices like the abacus and ENIAC. The discussion remains light-hearted and exploratory without reaching a consensus on any specific point.

Contextual Notes

Some comments reflect personal opinions and humor rather than technical analysis, and there are unresolved comparisons between different types of calculators and their functionalities.

Integral
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The original handheld calculator.

Curta

This was designed in Buchenwald, the German concentration camp, the first prototypes built from the original hand drawings worked. It was manufactured from 1948 till ~1970 when cheap electronic calculators came on the market.

I would love to hold one of these mechanical beauties and feel the gears at work! (Can be had for ~$1000 on Ebay.)

There is a article about the history of the man and the machine in the Jan 04 Sci. Am.
 
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WOW!
What an absolutely brilliant design!

I am impressed.
I want one.
 
Yeah, me too! I think I am in love! unfortunately they are simply to expensive a toy at this point in my life.
 
Originally posted by Integral
Yeah, me too! I think I am in love! unfortunately they are simply to expensive a toy at this point in my life.

And unfortunately for me, my girlfriend would say the same about me (although she is wrong:wink:).
 
I originally posted this in Engineerind design, cus this is such a beautiful example of a well engineered product, but, on second thoughts. It is not about design. But a really cool and amazing machine.
 
But the real question is: Can it run Linux?
 
What a BEAST! and if someone annoys you, you can club them with it! (see Ivan's thread) THat is really great and i think that it should be made cumpulsory in every home, as a great calculator, and a handy security measure, in case of break-ins.
 
I thought a thread titled: "The original handheld calculator." would be about the abacus. Ever used an abacus, Integral?
 
i was thinking of abacuses (abaci??) but you still have to do the working out anyway don't you? It is just a visual aid i thought...
 
  • #10
what a great toy, i would try to use it on a test but of course it probably isn't on the list of accepted calcs lol.
 
  • #11
Originally posted by jimmy p
What a BEAST! and if someone annoys you, you can club them with it! (see Ivan's thread) That is really great and i think that it should be made cumpulsory in every home, as a great calculator, and a handy security measure, in case of break-ins.


Did you actually look at the dimensions on this thing? It is 55mm in Diameter and 85mm long! you consider this a bludgeon?


I have seen handheld electonic calculators bigger then this. i.e. a TI 9X what ever the number on those huge inelegant monsters is.
 
  • #12
It could be a mini-club. Yeah, graphical calculators are also beasts. And damn annoying.
 
  • #13
Pretty clever design, incorporating a calculator in the shell of a pencil sharpener. Now... can it still sharpen pencils?

Lets see Texas Instruments make a calculator that dual functions as a pencil sharpener.

Commercialize it: "Broken pencil? Forgot your calculator? Have no fear, Curta is here!"
 
  • #14
does it do sin and cosin?
 
  • #15
Originally posted by PrudensOptimus
does it do sin and cosin?

Does sin fine...for small angles!
 
  • #16
That calculator reminds me of the ENIAC . A total monstrosity of a machine which filled an entire room and weighed thirty tons.
 
  • #17
Not sure why something that fits in the palm of your hand would remind you of a monstrosity? This little mechanical calculator is about as elegant as mechanical design can get.

A Monstrosity? What could you be thinking!
 
  • #18
I must be needing some sleep.. it looked big to me. I meant big as a car battery, not a full room!

/goes to bed
 
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  • #19
Originally posted by The_Professional
That calculator reminds me of the ENIAC . A total monstrosity of a machine which filled an entire room and weighed thirty tons.

Now THAT'S a bludgeoning implement...if i had quite a few like-minded friends with forklift trucks...
 

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