A very noteworthy HP-15C mention

[Valentin Albillo]

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Hi, all,

I just found a really noteworthy mention of the HP-15C on this interesting PDF document:

Primes, Quantum Chaos, and Computers by Andrew. M. Odlyzko, AT&T Bell Laboratories

Dr. Odlyzko is one of the world's top experts on the Riemann Hypothesis (yes, the #1 Unsolved Problem in Mathematics, one of the Clay Mathematics Institute's Millennium Prize Problems, which offers a million dollars to anyone who solves it,) and in 1992 conducted large-scale computations to obtain 175,587,726 zeros of the Zeta function of heights around 10²⁰.

Furthermore, quoting from Dr. Odlyzko's Wikipedia page:

"In 1985 he and Herman te Riele disproved the Mertens conjecture. In mathematics, he is probably known best for his work on the Riemann zeta function, which led to the invention of improved algorithms, including the Odlyzko–Schönhage algorithm, and large-scale computations, which stimulated extensive research on connections between the zeta function and random matrix theory. As a direct collaborator of Paul Erdős, he has Erdős number 1."

and in Page 7 of the aforementioned PDF document Dr. Odlyzko writes:

"Around the time of the Titchmarsh computations, Turing decided to investigate the Riemann Hypothesis. After failing to prove it theoretically, he decided to carry out some computations, [...] During and after the war, electronic digital computers were developed, and around 1950 Turing programmed one of them to search for counterexamples to the Riemann Hypothesis.

Although this machine was one of the world’s most powerful at that time, it was extremely weak by modern standards, roughly equivalent to a Hewlett-Packard HP-15C pocket programmable calculator in speed, and far inferior to it in reliability and ease of use."

I don't know about you but for me, finding that such a world-renowned large-scale numeric computations eminence as Dr. Odlyzko does know about the HP-15C and even has some very appreciative comments about it, frankly makes me very proud of this little but awesomest vintage HP calc.   

V.