Vintage Calculators

Name:

Date:

Instructions: From adding machines to pocket calculators, how well do you remember doing the math?

1.
What mechanical device, commonly found on office desks through the 1960s, used a hand crank to perform addition and subtraction?
A
A slide rule
B
A comptometer
C
An adding machine
D
An abacus
2.
What calculation tool, consisting of a ruler with a sliding center strip, was widely used by engineers and scientists before electronic calculators?
A
A compass
B
An abacus
C
A slide rule
D
A protractor
3.
Which Texas Instruments product, introduced in 1972, was one of the first affordable handheld electronic calculators?
A
The TI-84
B
The Datamath (TI-2500)
C
The TI-30
D
The SR-10
4.
What did early electronic calculators use to display numbers before LCD screens became common?
A
Projection screens
B
Cathode ray tubes
C
Ink printouts
D
Nixie tubes or LED displays
5.
What brand became synonymous with scientific calculators used by students and engineers, known by its initials 'HP'?
A
Hitachi Products
B
Harris Portable
C
Hewlett-Packard
D
Hamilton Precision
6.
What method of entering calculations, used by Hewlett-Packard calculators, required users to enter numbers before the operation?
A
Scientific notation
B
Reverse Polish Notation (RPN)
C
Algebraic notation
D
Binary notation
7.
What type of large, desk-sized mechanical calculator, popular in offices from the 1920s to 1960s, printed results on paper tape?
A
A comptometer
B
A tabulating machine
C
A printing calculator
D
A rotary calculator
8.
Approximately how much did an early pocket electronic calculator cost when first introduced around 1970?
A
About $400
B
About $50
C
About $10
D
About $2,000
9.
What ancient counting device, using beads on rods, was still used in some stores and classrooms well into the 20th century?
A
A quipu
B
An abacus
C
A tally stick
D
A counting frame
10.
What solar-powered feature, added to calculators in the early 1980s, eliminated the need for batteries?
A
A solar cell panel
B
A dynamo generator
C
A wind-up mechanism
D
A rechargeable battery
11.
What Casio product line, introduced in the 1980s, combined a calculator with a wristwatch?
A
The Casio Databank
B
The Casio Calculator Watch
C
The Casio Digital Diary
D
The Casio Computer Watch
12.
What word could children spell by typing '07734' and turning a calculator upside down?
A
HOLES
B
HELLO
C
ELBOW
D
SHELL
13.
Which company produced the Curta, a remarkable cylindrical mechanical calculator small enough to hold in one hand?
A
Contina AG Mauren
B
Friden
C
Olivetti
D
Monroe
14.
What type of display technology, using small neon-filled tubes that displayed glowing orange numerals, was used in early electronic calculators?
A
Vacuum fluorescent displays
B
Plasma displays
C
LED displays
D
Nixie tubes
15.
What classroom debate erupted in the 1970s when electronic calculators became affordable enough for students?
A
Whether to eliminate homework
B
Whether to replace teachers with computers
C
Whether calculators should be allowed in math class
D
Whether to ban textbooks

Answer Key

Question 1

C. An adding machine

Question 2

C. A slide rule

Question 3

B. The Datamath (TI-2500)

Question 4

D. Nixie tubes or LED displays

Question 5

C. Hewlett-Packard

Question 6

B. Reverse Polish Notation (RPN)

Question 7

C. A printing calculator

Question 8

A. About $400

Question 9

B. An abacus

Question 10

A. A solar cell panel

Question 11

B. The Casio Calculator Watch

Question 12

B. HELLO

Question 13

A. Contina AG Mauren

Question 14

D. Nixie tubes

Question 15

C. Whether calculators should be allowed in math class

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