Engineering Calculator application for iPhone

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the Engineering Calculator application for iPhone, iPad, and iPod, focusing on its features, usability, and comparisons to traditional calculators. Participants explore its capabilities in engineering calculations, unit recognition, and user interface design.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant highlights the app's professional tool status for engineering calculations and its inclusion of reference tables for structural engineers.
  • Another participant expresses a personal preference for physical calculators, specifically the HP 35s, while acknowledging the app's clean design.
  • The developer confirms they created the app and notes it does not support Reverse Polish Notation (RPN), but emphasizes its unique real-time unit recognition feature.
  • Participants inquire about the app's handling of different units, questioning whether it defaults to a standard resulting unit or allows users to specify desired units.
  • Concerns are raised about potential bugs in calculator applications, referencing issues with Apple's built-in calculator in a previous version.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express varying preferences for physical versus digital calculators, with no consensus on the importance of RPN support. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the handling of unit conversions in the app.

Contextual Notes

Some participants mention the potential for bugs in calculator applications and the importance of genuine applications versus imitations of physical calculators, indicating a concern for reliability and functionality.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals interested in engineering tools, app developers, and users comparing digital calculators to traditional physical calculators may find this discussion relevant.

Elitsio
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Check out Engineering Calculator for iPhone, iPad and iPod. A professional tool for native engineering calculations with units.

It also includes reference tables for structural engineers with elements that can be inserted in calculations.
 
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That's pretty nifty. I get a little grossed out by touch screens though. That's of course, my own personal issue. I'm a big believer of my HP 35s.

It looks very clean.
 
Thank you. Here's one more screen shot with a deflection calculation.
 
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Did you code this?

I like that is follows a nice color scheme similar to the HP's.

Does it accept RPN?
 
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Yes, I am the developer. No, Engineering Calculator does not accept RPN.

The unique feature is that it can recognize and analyze units on the fly. So, for instance, it knows if you are adding arguments of the same unit, even if these arguments are expressed differently.

Also, in the version coming this week, there will be the ability to calculate special things like areas of shapes by coordinates, or for triangles by its side lengths and linear interpolation. As a general rule, all these functions can also accept units!
 
Here's an example of real time unit recognition. The screenshots are from version v2.40 coming this week on AppStore (hopefully).

Taping on "analyze" on second screenshot, cycles through all possible unit combinations of the same result. It now shows it in MPa units.
 
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That's very interesting. I can see not accepting RPN being a bit of a bummer for some, but more and more people don't use it.

If there are multiple units with different magnitudes, ie km and cm's, will it side with what the resulting unit is SUPPOSED to be, or is there an option for it to spit out units of the desired form?
 
HI https://www.physicsforums.com/members/elitsio.483036/
It must be a genuine application, not an imitating of a physical calculator. A physical calculator has restrictions, in button layout. You’d be amazed at what number of bugs can crop up in a calculator app. Apple’s built-in calculator could not even mange with π appropriately when version 2.0 was released. Apps like Graphics can be exceptionally valuable, particularly to understudies.
Thanks
zarajohn@
 

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