Inspiring the next generation of RPN users

General discussion about calculators, SwissMicros or otherwise
Peet
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Re: Inspiring the next generation of RPN users

Post by Peet »

Brianetta wrote:
Mon May 23, 2022 10:25 am
I have absolutely no idea what the car analogy is supposed to invoke. I don't have one myself.
Even if you have no car yourself, maybe you have noticed that many cars have only 4 wheels although there are some with 6, 8 or even "infinity" wheels (e.g. chain drive continuous tracks on tanks). More isn't allways better, somtimes the scope of application says what is best.

My main problem with "Big Stack" is, that almost every calculator cooks its own soup here and there is no standard for stack handling (error-to few arguments, LastX vs undo etc.) and delete/drop. On the big stack road there was no progress to find the best way to handle, even HP28 & HP48 does it different (e.g. backspace with empty stack gives an error on 48/49/50 but not on 28, the prime returns to the 28 way, the DM42 does it like the 48).

I like the possibilities offered by RPL, like convert the stack to lists or matrix but in every day calculations I prefer classic RPN with the 4 level stack.
Last edited by Peet on Mon May 23, 2022 12:34 pm, edited 2 times in total.
My programmable calculators - former: CBM PR100, HP41CV, HP28S, HP11C - current: HP48G(256kB), HP35S, Prime, DM41X, DM42
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Walter
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Re: Inspiring the next generation of RPN users

Post by Walter »

Peet wrote:
Mon May 23, 2022 12:02 pm
Brianetta wrote:
Mon May 23, 2022 10:25 am
I have absolutely no idea what the car analogy is supposed to invoke. I don't have one myself.
Even if you have no car yourself, maybe you have noticed that many cars have only 4 wheels although there are some with 6, 8 or even "infinity" wheels (e.g. chain drive on tanks).
English as a second (or third...) language may be challenging sometimes but there are reasonable dictionaries available in the net. Please look up "Kettenfahrzeug". :shock: And calling such a tank a vehicle with an infinite number of wheels is a bit far off the track IMHO. Also nice paradigms can be overstrained. :roll:

Maybe I should add/repeat that I like 8 stack levels best on an RPN calculator. Sufficient for every real-world calculation. 8-)
WP43 SN00000, 34S, and 31S for obvious reasons; HP-35, 45, ..., 35S, 15CE, DM16L S/N# 00093, DM42β SN:00041
Peet
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Re: Inspiring the next generation of RPN users

Post by Peet »

Walter wrote:
Mon May 23, 2022 12:29 pm
English as a second (or third...) language may be challenging sometimes but there are reasonable dictionaries available in the net. Please look up "Kettenfahrzeug". :shock: And calling such a tank a vehicle with an infinite number of wheels is a bit far off the track IMHO. Also nice paradigms can be overstrained. :roll:
Even dictionaries don't always help I looked up for "Kettenantrieb" and when I googled for "chain drive" to verify i found this:
https://willya.de/wp-content/uploads/20 ... ile-01.jpg

Since I didn't know the correct technical term, I used the example "tank" to avoid misunderstandings about the term, not because a tank is a car, but because it is probably the most well-known vehicle with this type of drive.
Walter wrote:
Mon May 23, 2022 12:29 pm
Sufficient for every real-world calculation. 8-)
I think this will fit any stack size >= 4, but 4 is the most common and best described stack size on RPN calculators so I think it makes sense to have this as the default. Still, it's great when there are other stack options for people who like them.
My programmable calculators - former: CBM PR100, HP41CV, HP28S, HP11C - current: HP48G(256kB), HP35S, Prime, DM41X, DM42
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Walter
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Re: Inspiring the next generation of RPN users

Post by Walter »

Peet wrote:
Mon May 23, 2022 12:45 pm
Even dictionaries don't always help I looked up for "Kettenantrieb" and when I googled for "chain drive" to verify i found this:
https://willya.de/wp-content/uploads/20 ... ile-01.jpg
Oooh! I really don't want to experience what the tracks of this Lamborghini will do to its fenders when it drives through medium terrain. Utterly ugly noise will resound when the sheets are milled off! :shock:
Peet wrote:
Mon May 23, 2022 12:45 pm
Since I didn't know the correct technical term, I used the example "tank" to avoid misunderstandings about the term, not because a tank is a car, but because it is probably the most well-known vehicle with this type of drive.
Most well-known -> best-known. Just FYI. Back to RPN...
WP43 SN00000, 34S, and 31S for obvious reasons; HP-35, 45, ..., 35S, 15CE, DM16L S/N# 00093, DM42β SN:00041
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Brianetta
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Re: Inspiring the next generation of RPN users

Post by Brianetta »

Peet wrote:
Mon May 23, 2022 12:45 pm
Still, it's great when there are other stack options for people who like them.
It is. In my case, a big stack changes my impression of RPN from somewhere between gimmick and relic, to a very desirable purchase. The four-stack was broken for me not because of its small size, but because it silently lost numbers off the top, replacing them on the way back down with something else. Something that many people on here clearly cherish as a feature, to my continuing astonishment.
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Thomas Okken
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Re: Inspiring the next generation of RPN users

Post by Thomas Okken »

Walter wrote:
Mon May 23, 2022 1:32 pm
Most well-known -> best-known. Just FYI. Back to RPN...
It's not that simple...

https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/qa ... q0361.html

Additional complications arise when negating. Should one say least well-known or worst-known? Most unknown?

As far as Raupenfahrzeuge are concerned, in colloquial American English, those drive mechanisms are usually referred to simply as "tracks."
HPMike
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Re: Inspiring the next generation of RPN users

Post by HPMike »

What we really need is a Plus423.
DM15L, S/N 00548. DM42, SN: 00159. DM41X, SN: 00973. DM32, SN 00054.
H2X
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Re: Inspiring the next generation of RPN users

Post by H2X »

Thomas Okken wrote:
Mon May 23, 2022 1:47 pm
Walter wrote:
Mon May 23, 2022 1:32 pm
Most well-known -> best-known. Just FYI. Back to RPN...
It's not that simple...

https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/qa ... q0361.html

Additional complications arise when negating. Should one say least well-known or worst-known? Most unknown?

As far as Raupenfahrzeuge are concerned, in colloquial American English, those drive mechanisms are usually referred to simply as "tracks."
And on that note, might we stop picking on how people speak? That is just rude. Not referring to you, Thomas...
What is the metric tensor in imperial units?
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Walter
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Re: Inspiring the next generation of RPN users

Post by Walter »

Yes in principle but how shall I know what you meant if I can only read what you wrote?
WP43 SN00000, 34S, and 31S for obvious reasons; HP-35, 45, ..., 35S, 15CE, DM16L S/N# 00093, DM42β SN:00041
H2X
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Re: Inspiring the next generation of RPN users

Post by H2X »

Walter wrote:
Mon May 23, 2022 5:54 pm
Yes in principle but how shall I know what you meant if I can only read what you wrote?
Are you asking me what I meant?
What is the metric tensor in imperial units?
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