Re: Here is the link to the PDF :-) Message #13 Posted by Valentin Albillo on 7 Feb 2005, 10:18 a.m., in response to message #6 by deleted
Hi, Gerson:
Gerson posted:
"Thanks for the link. I had been looking for it, but all I could find was (good) references to it."
You're welcome. Should you want any of my past Datafile articles in PDF format, just ask. Besides the trigonometrics one I've explored several other interesting aspects of HP-12C programming in these two articles as well:
"I'd rather have a 15C because of the way it handles complex numbers and performs matrix operations. Too bad they are not available any more."
Oh, but they are. At eBay ... Besides complex numbers and matrix operations (which includes solving systems of linear equations), it also does numerical integration and root finding, gamma, hyperbolics, linear regression, permutations, combinations, random number generation, etc, etc. A passable machine, methinks ! ;-)
"I think HP could have included some basic scientific functions in their new 12C Platinum."
Other brands did much better. SHARP, for instance, had a number of "Business/Financial Pocket Computers", like this SHARP PC-1421 model, a slim, all-metallic, dot-matrix alphanumeric display, large RAM, fast machine which featured a full set of financial functions (including NPV, IRR, etc) plus a full-featured BASIC-language programming environment which of course included 2-dimensional dinamic arrays, strings, and all the usual mathematical functions, trigonometrics included. Needless to say, you could use the financial functions as keywords in your BASIC programs, which meant incredible computing power for financial applications.
By the way, contrary to what most people believe, trigonometric functions are indeed used in advanced financial applications, just have a look at this paper published in the Journal of Financial Economics:
Spanning and Derivative-Security Valuation
These kind of applications can be programmed in a SHARP PC-1421, not so in any of HP's financial models.
Best regards from V.
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