Una calculadora es un dispositivo que se utiliza para realizar cálculos aritméticos. Aunque las calculadoras modernas incorporan a menudo un ordenador de propósito general, se diseñan para realizar ciertas operaciones más que para ser flexibles. Por ejemplo, existen calculadoras gráficas especializadas en campos matemáticos gráficos como la trigonometría y la estadística. También suelen ser más portátiles que la mayoría de los computadores, si bien algunas PDAs tienen tamaños similares a los modelos típicos de calculadora. En el pasado, se utilizaban como apoyo al trabajo numérico ábacos, comptómetros, ábacos neperianos, tablas matemáticas, reglas de cálculo y máquinas de sumar. El término «calculador» se usaba para aludir a la persona que ejercía este trabajo, ayudándose también de papel y lápiz. Este proceso de cálculo semimanual era tedioso y proclive a errores. Actualmente, las calculadoras son electrónicas y son fabricadas por numerosas empresas en tamaños y formas variados. Se pueden encontrar desde modelos muy baratos del tamaño de una tarjeta de crédito hasta otros más costosos con una impresora incorporada. Una de las primeras calculadoras mecánicas es el mecanismo de Anticitera.

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An electronic calculator is a small, portable electronic device used to perform both basic arithmetic operations and complex mathematical operations. The first solid state electronic calculator was created in the 1960s, building on the extensive history of tools such as the abacus (developed around 2000 BC), and the mechanical calculator (developed in the 17th century AD). It was developed in parallel with the analog computers of the day. The pocket sized devices became available in the 1970s, especially after the first microprocessor developed by Intel for the Japanese calculator company Busicom (Which was Intel's first microprocessor). They later became commonly used within the Oil and Gas industry. Modern electronic calculators vary: from cheap, give-away, credit-card-sized models to sturdy desktop models with built-in printers. They became popular in the mid-1970s (as integrated circuits made their size and cost small). By the end of that decade, calculator prices had reduced to a point where a basic calculator was affordable to most and they became common in schools. Computer operating systems as far back as early Unix have included interactive calculator programs such as dc and hoc, and calculator functions are included in almost all PDA-type devices (save a few dedicated address book and dictionary devices). In addition to general purpose calculators, there are those designed for specific markets; for example, there are scientific calculators which include trigonometric and statistical calculations. Some calculators even have the ability to do computer algebra. Graphing calculators can be used to graph functions defined on the real line, or higher-dimensional Euclidean space. Currently, basic calculators are inexpensive, but the scientific and graphing models tend to be higher priced. In 1986, calculators still represented an estimated 41% of the world's general-purpose hardware capacity to compute information. This diminished to less than 0.05% by 2007.

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