We learn to count in kindergarten and use this skill throughout our lives. If easy calculations can be done mentally, the calculator helps us perform more complex ones. In the 21st century, everyone has such an assistant in their smartphone and uses it without any problems. Read more on dallas-future.
We will tell you about the inventor of the handheld calculator, which made life easier for accountants and more.
A brief history of the calculator
The Latin translation of the word ‘calculo’ means to count. It comes from the word ‘calculus’, which means ‘pebble’. Small pebbles were previously used for counting.
The first device for calculation that was found by archaeologists was the Ishango bone. It was found in Congo and was 20 thousand years old. It was a large animal bone with notches for counting.
The Chinese were famous inventors and created the suanpan, which was very similar to an abacus. Suanpan was a series of large and small beads. Big beads stand for the earth and the small ones for heaven.
The ancient Mayan tribe used the Fibonacci sequence as the basis of the calculation device.
Then, trade was developing. In the 16th century, an abacus was invented for counting. It consisted of a wooden board with special holes. It was based on the hexadecimal number system and the Babylonian calculation principle. There were pebbles with depicted numbers on them. Separate pebbles were responsible for ones and tens.
The division of time into 60 units and a circle of 360 degrees probably comes from the abacus. This system of calculation was extremely popular among the educated population until the 18th century. An abacus can be called the prototype of the calculator.
Later, logarithmic rulers and mechanical clocks began to appear, which could perform as many as four actions. Then, a mechanical machine on wheels with moving parts was invented.
Starting from the 19th century, many calculating machines started to appear. In 1938, the first mechanical calculator called Curta was released.
Calculators were large and heavy. In 1961, the first electronic calculator was invented.
Jack Kilby
The inventor of the handheld calculator, Jack Kilby, was born in Jefferson City on November 8, 1923. Jack’s father was a director of an energy company. Therefore, Jack’s passion for electronics was in his blood. Even in school, little Jack was interested in electronics. While serving in the army, Jack worked as an electrical technician. He kept his enthusiasm throughout his life and continued to study electrical engineering at the University of Illinois.
After graduating from university, Jack Kilby got a job at a company that manufactured electronic components.
Life in Dallas
In 1958, Jack moved to Dallas and began working at Texas Instruments. He started to improve and reduce electronic components, which allowed making electronic equipment of smaller sizes. As the apogee of all works, Jack Kilby created an integrated microcircuit (a system of interconnected transistors on a single microcircuit). Jack made his creation the size of a postage stamp. The product was launched and patented in 1959. During his lifetime, Jack Kilby received another 50 patents for small inventions and improvements.
Handheld calculator
By improving integrated circuits, a thermal printer and a handheld calculator were invented. These inventions were published in 1962 and 1965, respectively. Previous calculators were large due to large and outdated designs. The Texas Instruments company made a calculator based on Kilby chips and reduced the size of the pocket assistant.
The invention was named Datamath. It was thanks to Jack Kilby’s handheld calculator that the pocket logarithmic ruler, which helped with calculations, became a museum exhibit.
In 1970, Kilby took a leave to study solar energy production. Still, he continued to work and teach at the University of Texas.
Awards
Among all Jack Kilby’s achievements, there are quite a few awards:
- The National Medal of Science, 1969
- Charles Stark Draper Prize, 1989
- The National Medal of Technology, 1990
- he was the laureate of the 2000 Nobel Prize in Physics.
Jack Kilby died on June 20, 2005 in Dallas.
Thanks to the invention of Jack Kilby, namely integrated microcircuits, devices, tools and gadgets have small and compact sizes. It’s hard to even imagine what would have happened if it hadn’t been for Jack’s invention.