ENG Format

[jhallen]

It's interesting how different calculators and pocket computers handle engineering format. Basically, can the calculator manipulate the number after it has been printed? Some can, some can not..

Key:

Operator: it means it converts the currently displayed number into engineering format.

Mode: it means all future numbers are printed in engineering format.

Mode+Op: it means all future numbers are printed in engineering format and the currently displayed number is changed.

Menu if you have to traverse menus to do it.
- - -

Casio BASIC pocket computers (like FX-850P): It's an operator. It works for numbers PRINTed from BASIC (when calculator is stopped). If there are multiple numbers printed, only the last one is reformatted.

Casio Fx-602p, FX-4000p: it's an operator and it works for numbers printed by the program (even though these calculators have completely different programming paradigms).

Casio PB-110: scientific functions, but no eng format

Modern Casios (fx-9750GIII and similar): It's an operator and a mode. The operator is buried in menus (optn->f6->f6->f1->f6->f2, ugh..). But also there is a setup mode so that all numbers are in printed in engineering format. In programming mode, ENG format operator is more accessible: it's in the top-level of optn key. The operator works on program output.

Sharp PC-XXXX in BASIC mode: it can not! (and 1/3 prints 3.333e-1). But you have USING to control the format.... Some Sharp PCs have calculator mode, like EL-5500III or E500, on these hit FSE to change to eng mode. FSE does not work for numbers PRINTed by a program. This is the biggest weakness of these Sharp pocket computers, I think.

Sharp EL-9600c: it's a menu mode+op

TI-58 / TI-59: it's an operator, it works for program output (in stop mode).

TI-74: no engineering formatting, sad.

TI-89: it's a mode in a menu.

TI-95: It's a mode+op.

TI-nspire CX: it's a mode "exponential format" in a menu. PITA to change it because of the document stuff.

TI-84, etc.: It's a mode in a menu.

HP-15C, HP-41, HP-42: it's a Mode+Op that takes precision as an argument, argument provided after hitting the operator. It's in a menu on the 42.

HP-28C: it's an mode+op in a menu that takes an argument, the argument is the precision. Argument provided before the operator. Every displayed number is changed.

HP-48..: it's a mode+op in a menu, when you change it, every displayed number is changed.

HP-35S: it's an operator, but oops, it's broken! You hit the key to put the current number into engineering format, but the exponent doesn't fit on the screen. You hit "show" to see the whole number, but engineering format is reverted before it shows it.

HP-33S: it's an operator, it works!

HP-Prime: it's a mode+op in a menu, when you change it every displayed number is changed.

HP-71B, I don't have one, but it looks like it's a mode (ENG command).

[Joe Horn]

(12-04-2022 11:38 PM)jhallen Wrote:  HP-35S: it's an operator, but oops, it's broken! You hit the key to put the current number into engineering format, but the exponent doesn't fit on the screen. You hit "show" to see the whole number, but engineering format is reverted before it shows it.

Instead of SHOW, press the right-cursor key. This scrolls long results 14 characters to the left, which lets you see what was missing on the right. IMHO, this was a silly design decision on HP's part, but at least it works.

[jhallen]

(12-05-2022 01:40 AM)Joe Horn Wrote:  Instead of SHOW, press the right-cursor key. This scrolls long results 14 characters to the left, which lets you see what was missing on the right. IMHO, this was a silly design decision on HP's part, but at least it works.

Ah you are right, show does not do what I thought (it shows the mantissa, excluding the exponent).

It's unfortunate that any case where the mantissa doesn't end in zeros, then the result of pressing eng-> or <-eng will not fit on the screen. Even if you were in Sci or Fix mode, then pressing these always shows all digits.

But if you use Eng mode (which is in the display menu) instead of the operator keys, it works OK.

HP-33s just shows fewer digits of the mantissa, so that the exponent will fit.

[Maximilian Hohmann]

Hello!

(12-04-2022 11:38 PM)jhallen Wrote:  TI-58 / TI-59: it's an operator, it works for program output (in stop mode).

In these calculators "ENG" is both a mode and an operator. When you convert the current display to ENG format by pressing "2nd Eng", the calculator will stay in this format until you select a different one or switch it off.

Regards
Max

[Dave Britten]

Casio is my favorite for engineering notation. Not only is it an operator you can use anywhere to reformat the display, but you also have a pair of operators that will shift the exponent up or down by 3 and adjust the mantissa accordingly. So if you want all your results expressed in kiloparsecs, you can just shift the exponent to 10^3 as needed. Plus there's the engineering symbol input and display, so you can use "p" instead of 10^-12, for instance. You can typically input these symbols regardless of whether or not you've configured the calculator to display results using them.

[jhallen]

I saw an HHC presentation on Commodore's scientific calculators: some have a pair of keys to shift the decimal point and adjust the exponent by 1.

Yeah, Eng operator is useless unless it's on a primary key. The mental effort to shift the decimal point in your head is probably less than traversing menus.