History of Computing Devices

In this section, I describe various computing devices: computers, calculators, slide rules.

• How 8-bit Computers Work
  • This article explains to software developers how 8-bit computers are built from subsystems, how these subsystems collaborate to perform simple calculations, and how such simple calculations when combined exhibit complex behaviours. This information may make developers more mechanically sympathetic programmers.
• How RPN Calculators Work
  • This article gives a high-level introduction to using HP reverse Polish notation (RPN), programmable, scientific calculators. The focus is on using the RPN input method and on writing programmes using the three supported means: RPN keystrokes, reverse Polish LISP (RPL), and Prime Programming Language (PPL). The target audience are high school and college students specialising in STEM.
• How Slide Rules Work
  • This article provides a visual explanation of how one of the oldest computing devices, the slide rule, works, from the perspective of an engineering student who used it in college. It is written for anyone curious about what slide rules are, how they work, and how they were used.