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+--- Thread: Square root on basic cheap calcs (/thread-12576.html)
Square root on basic cheap calcs - Tugdual - 03-07-2019 06:52 AM
I just discoveed the concept of constructible numbers which is basically whatever number can be built with integers and +-*/ and... square root.
I always wondered why super simple cheap calculators with four operators had the square root (sometime it is hidden under the hood, you need to open the calc to see the key). I thought it was somehow for test purposes but didn’t quite buy that.
Is it possible that this design choice is related to constructible numbers theory?
RE: Square root on basic cheap calcs - Eddie W. Shore - 03-08-2019 01:57 PM
I never heard of four function calculators that don't have a square root button as a "secret" button before.
RE: Square root on basic cheap calcs - Tugdual - 03-08-2019 05:55 PM
(03-08-2019 01:57 PM)Eddie W. Shore Wrote: I never heard of four function calculators that don't have a square root button as a "secret" button before.I saw that only once but it was quite funny. You might check cheap office calculators with only 4 operators and no square root.
RE: Square root on basic cheap calcs - berndpr - 03-09-2019 04:03 AM
If you look at the first digital computer, the Z3, it had the four operation and square root with float point numbers. Completely with relays.
This is not complicate, if you know, that the square root can solved with a modified division operation.
Perhaps this simple calculators include square root because of this easy calculation. All other function like sin, log etc. need much more code.