Re: Method of use??? Message #11 Posted by Fred Lusk (CA) on 21 May 2004, 11:29 p.m., in response to message #8 by Ron Ross
Ron…
My experience is almost the same, it seems. I am a civil engineer, and I use Excel and Mathcad quite a bit. I have emulators on my laptop for the HP-41CX, HP-48, and several other models. I have an emulator for the HP-41CX on my Palm Tungsten T, plus CSIM for the HP-35, -45, and -55. But, I almost never have my laptop at a meeting, and I only use my Palm at a meeting for checking my schedule or finding a phone number. On the other hand, I almost always have my HP-42S, or sometimes my HP-48G+.
However, I don't see a calculator as redundant when I am working at my desk. For certain things, I prefer it to my computer. It is true that over the years, I have transfered much of my calculator work to the computer. There are two main things I still use a calculator for: quick number crunching and running programs I have written, some dating back over 20 years. The most important programs I still run on the calculator are "interchangeable solutions" like the old TVM from the HP-41 basic solutions (?title?) books I have written interchangeable solution programs for hyraulics (Hazen-Williams Equation for water flow under pressure, Mannings Equation, for water flow under pressure pressure, Mannings Equation for open channel flow in pipes and for open channel flow in rectangular/triangular/trapezoidal chaneels, etc), sizing rebar for reinforced concrete, and other such mundane tasks. Excel and Mathcad do not handle these types of "what if" calculations like the HP-42S. I prefer the interchangeable solution for certain problems because, even though the program is much longer than a solve routine would be, it is far more flexible and much faster.
I do see myself as a dying breed--an engineer who still programs and uses a calculator in a significant way, while also using computers for bigger problems.
Fred
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