What Kind of Calculator Do You Use?
 

I've used an HP-12C for 25 years. I always thought the expression, "Reverse Polish Notation" was a Polish joke because the calculation was entered backwards. Once you get used to using RPN, it's impossible to borrow someone else's calculator w/o messing up.

Wikipedia:

Friden introduced RPN to the desktop calculator market with the EC-130 in June of 1963. Hewlett-Packard (HP) engineers designed the 9100A Desktop Calculator in 1968 with RPN. This calculator popularized RPN among the scientific and engineering communities, even though early advertisements for the 9100A failed to mention RPN. The HP-35, the worlds first handheld scientific calculator, used RPN in 1972 as did the HP-10C series of calculators, including the famous financial calculator the HP-12C. When Hewlett-Packard introduced a later business calculator, the HP-19B, without RPN, feedback from financiers and others used to using the 12-C compelled them to release the HP-19BII, which gave users the option of using algebraic notation or RPN.

....RPN calculators are comparatively expensive and rare. When an RPN calculator is unavailable, frequent users of RPN calculators may find use of infix calculators difficult due to habit. The usual fault is trying to use the equals key as enter. Whatever the error, calculations get lost and have to be re-started.

I still have my HP-41CV with Time and Extended functions, the workhorse that did thousands of hours of number crunching for me. RPN is definitely the way to go for me!


Now I use Excel...

Abaccus . . . . unless it's below twenty. Then I just take my shoes off and go digital.

19bii, which I do run in RPN mode, I don't know anything other than RPN.

Oh, I also use Excel extensively, too. Howitzer, what 19bii and what is RPN?

I just use the computer's calculator... I remember RPN but I can't remember how it was formatted...

^^ HP 19B (Business Consultant II)
I have used one for oh, 20 years.

Unix (and cygwin) has a calculator called "dc" which is RPN. I use that a lot. Postscript is also very similar to RPN, and I've done a fair bit of computations using that. Yes, the printer thing, and yes, it really is a programming language.

Cascio MS-70L combo solar/battery unit. I bet it was upwards of 5 or 6 bucks when new. Somehow I've had it for 3 years now and haven't lost it on my desk. It's rare that I actually use it since almost all the calculations I need are in Excel spreadsheets, even custom grass seed mixture prices and tag analysis' are all calculated for me just by entering the item number and variety percentage.

It does help me figure what's left of each paycheck once the wife is done with it, though.

HP-11C and HP 41 CX (Not in front of me but I believe that is it) I find it so difficult to use anything else now I am so used to RPN.

AOS
6+2*3=

RPN
6 Enter 2 Enter 3 Enter *+

You really need a calculator to figure THAT? Most of the guys I know could figure that using the fingers on one hand!:D

At the risk of carbon dating myself, I use one of these...

I actually used an abacus during a math test in high school because we weren't allowed to use programmable calculators, and all I had access to was my Dad's fancy TI something or other. The beads made so much noise that my teacher said next time she would trust me to use my dad's calculator.

These days I use a Casio - it has the ability to convert Hexadecimal (base 16) to decimal easily.

Casio 6000 P programmable.

Anybody remember slide rules?

Breitling makes pilots' watches with slide rules built into the bezels. Pretty cool. Unfortunately, I never learned to use a slide rule . . .