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The Electronic Calculator
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Long
before computers descended on us, making the most complicated of
mathematical calculations seem simple, it was the electronic calculators
that came to our rescue. The operations of the calculator are very
basic. Most of the calculations are done using simple operations like
addition and subtraction (the operations of multiplication and division
are carried out by continued addition and subtraction respectively) and
a binary number system.
Since
the calculator, like other electronic devices, operates on a system of
electronic switches, it uses a binary number system. The electronic
switch, at any given time is in either of two states, off or on.
‘Off’ is usually represented by the number 0 and the ‘on’ by the
number 1.
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The
numbers on the keyboard are decimal numbers from 0 to 9. However, when a
key is pressed for an operation, the calculator comprehends its binary
equivalent. This understanding is fed to the calculator by a switch
point located under the key. From there, the message is passed to the
chip of the calculator.
The
chip of the calculator is a tiny integrated circuit, a network of
electronic components in a piece of silicon smaller than a postage stamp
in size. It is the chip that carries out the binary operations at the
speed of light. The answers
are to the calculator’s display. With the help of a decoder, the
calculator converts the binary into decimal again and these decimals
appear on the display panel using Light Emitting Diode of LED segments.
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An
Electronic Calculator |
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On
the display panel, the space for each unit has seven LED segments. There
is also a decimal point. Each LED segment gives off a glow when
required. Depending upon the chip’s instructions through the switch
circuit, the different combinations of the segments light up for any
decimal number from 0 to 9.
Addition
is done using the standard binary method. For example: 0+1=1, 0+0=0, and
1+1=10 (equivalent to 2). Subtraction is done by reversing the whole
method.
As
mentioned earlier, multiplication and division are simply done by
continued addition and subtraction respectively. For if we wanted to
perform the task of multiplying 103 by 72, the calculator would add 103
seventy two times. Although it a time consuming and cumbersome operation
for the human brain, the calculator performs it in a jiffy. Imagine what
a boon it is proving to be to our simple grocery store owners who now
need to learn mathematics at the third level only!
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