EE Pros: Is RPN still relevant?

[rstofer]

I think it's obvious from context that he means an actual calculator, not an app running on something else.

Yes, I know it is obvious.

The thread is about whether RPN is still relevant though, and the point I was (clearly) making was about physical limitations of their displays and the benefits of having the whole stack visible.

Surely we're talking about the advantages of RPN, not (now relatively rare) calculator model 'fandom' (I had a 16C from new but don't miss it compared to what I use now).

The HP 48GX displays 4 levels of stack but I can use the Green Stack button and scroll all the way to the bottom.

[bson]

My first RPN calculator was an HP-41CV, and one of its truly great features was HP-IL, the Interface Loop, where a bunch of HP-IL devices could be chained into a loop - a tape recorder and one or more HP-IB bridges in particular.   This meant the HP-41 was handy for collecting data.  So while the hp50g, hp prime, etc can work on large datasets it's really a pain to get measurement data into the calculator to begin with.  And if you have data on a computer already why add the complication of transferring it to a calculator.  So calculators mainly get used for what is trivial calculations.  This is due to them being marketed not for lab use but classrooms where the teacher provides datasets.  Something like the HP Prime would be far more useful if it had wifi or ethernet and an LXI-11 implementation with an instrument abstraction and maybe built-in support for some common instruments.

[MBY]

Nothing beats having a physical calculator, so don't bother with apps or desktop programs.

Well that was a bit of an old thread resurrection.

With regard to the "physical calculator", that rather depends on what you regard as 'physical' these days with smartphones etc. Personally I use Neocal on an old but perfectly serviceable Palm TX, perfectly physical to me.

Anyway, the point I want to make is that these devices can normally allow you to view the entire RPN stack, not just the X register. This is invaluable in both ease of learning and reducing errors in operation. There are very few 'physical' RPN calculators (especially the 'classics') that display more than one line.

Or, full stack view only hamper the effort to learn RPN proper. I don't know the answer, but I would guess that this kind of checking is a bad thing. Like counting parentheses (thank you bitseeker) on a multi-line algebraic calculator. You should probably commit the "RPN routine" to muscle memory and not invoke conscious thought to "confirm" everything. It's like the difference between looking at the keyboard as you write, or develop a more low level feel of what key you stroke and why.  I would think that you develop a more deep, unconscious, understanding of RPN (and the same thing goes for algebraic mode as well I would think, but RPN is more suitable for hindbrain operation to off-load the frontal cortex).

A physical calculator is obviously a calculator, not a general purpose thingy (smartphone, desktop, tablet, etc), with a proper keyboard whose layout you can commit to muscle memory and such. This applies to algebraic calculators as well, of course. I think this is an important point in the discussion and not only is RPN still relevant, but physical calculators are likewise still relevant.

(Btw, "numpad calculators" connected to a computer via USB or PS/2 port are a thing, but for some reason I have never seen a decent one. Scientific, RPN, programmable, etc. No need for leaving the current program/window on a computer, just do the calculation and press a key to insert it exactly where it is needed. *That* would be progress.)

[rsjsouza]

IT (In Topic): I just got an HP 35s. Yes, I know it has bugs. Yes, I know it's not really exactly as the old HPs. Still, I feel at home using it.

The HP35S is a great calculator. I got one to leave at the office, where I am not afraid that someone may be tempted to take my HP48GX home. I like that it does 36-bit arithmetic for base conversions, which I use a lot.

The HP 48GX displays 4 levels of stack but I can use the Green Stack button and scroll all the way to the bottom.

I love that on the HP48. It is quite easy to get gobs of data and perform multiple operations on them.