HP-42s Entering 4 complex numbers on the stack

[jonmoore]

(05-28-2023 01:38 PM)Vincent Weber Wrote:  Good point about LASTX. What do you think of my way?

Regarding the 32S/32SII, I like the simplicity or the complex numbers handling, but I think it is half-baked:
-A stack reduced to 2 elements;
-No way to operate this stack like the normal one: no complex X<>, lastX,etc...;
-Missing math functions, e.g. reverse trigs.

All in all, quite difficult to write a program that operates seemlessly on both real and complex numbers!

^ This.

The 32 series is great for the mathematics a student encounters pre-university, be that GCSE A-Levels or English Baccalaureate (on this side of the pond), which is the superior option IMO (our Continental European friends have known this all along). But it's lacking for studies beyond this standard. In fact, depending on chosen options available to talented pre-university math students, they'll also require more sophisticated complex math capabilities than a 32 can provide.

I'm aware few on the MoHPC forum are interested in student-level mathematics, but the 32 series was originally specified for high-school math. I sit on a PTA, so probably care more about this stuff than the average parent, but there are plenty of students that frequent other parts of the MoHPC forums, and it's pertinent knowledge for them should they be interested in picking up a HP 32 on an auction site or if the DM32 is a tempting proposition.

Much that the vast majority of kids can't believe that some prefer hardware to mobile phone/tablet apps for their calculating needs, others adore the 尺?七尺ㄖ ⼕卄讠⼕ of dedicated hardware.