The Museum of HP Calculators

HP Forum Archive 19

[ Return to Index | Top of Index ]

hp 35s Odd Behaviour: Fractions in Complex Numbers
Message #1 Posted by Mohammed Hadi on 9 Dec 2009, 7:16 a.m.

Yesterday was a good hp day for me. My first hp calc since I lost my 15c 21 years ago arrived (35s) along with a 12c for my wife (an economics professor, this would be her first brush with RPN). To top it all, the broken 41CV that I got for free from a friend the other day sprang to life after some battery corrosion cleaning and an unconventional workaround the broken bottom screw posts.

Anyway, I was playing with the 35s and noticed the following odd behaviour: I tried to input -1/3 i -1/3 by typing ". 1 . 3 CHS i . 1 . 3 CHS ENTER". What I got back was "0.3333i-0.3333" instead of "-0.3333i-0.3333"!

What gives?

Has this been discussed before?

      
Re: hp 35s Odd Behaviour: Fractions in Complex Numbers
Message #2 Posted by Bart (UK) on 9 Dec 2009, 7:27 a.m.,
in response to message #1 by Mohammed Hadi

Interesting. It works correctly when entering "0.3333333 CHS i 0.3333333 CHS ENTER". You've discoverd another bug?

      
Re: hp 35s Odd Behaviour: Fractions in Complex Numbers
Message #3 Posted by Paul Dale on 9 Dec 2009, 4:28 p.m.,
in response to message #1 by Mohammed Hadi

Added to the HP-35s bug list.

- Pauli

            
Re: hp 35s Odd Behaviour: Fractions in Complex Numbers
Message #4 Posted by John B. Smitherman on 14 Dec 2009, 11:45 p.m.,
in response to message #3 by Paul Dale

Hi Paul. after some testing it appears that this bug exists in both RPN and algebraic modes.

Thanks for maintaining the 35s bug list. I wish that we had organized something similar for the 33s. Would you consider adding the 33s bug list to that of the 35s?

Regards,

John

                  
Re: hp 35s Odd Behaviour: Fractions in Complex Numbers
Message #5 Posted by Paul Dale on 15 Dec 2009, 4:56 p.m.,
in response to message #4 by John B. Smitherman

Sorry, but I'm not going to do a 33s bug list. It is a discontinued model which means there aren't going to ever be fixes.

Also, I don't have a 33s, and I am not planning on getting one...

- Pauli

                        
Re: hp 35s Odd Behaviour: Fractions in Complex Numbers
Message #6 Posted by John B. Smitherman on 15 Dec 2009, 5:25 p.m.,
in response to message #5 by Paul Dale

Thanks Paul. I thought that it wouldn't hurt to ask. You are probably correct that the 33s won't get any more updates but it is still for sale at hp.com.

Regards,

John

                              
Re: hp 35s Odd Behaviour: Fractions in Complex Numbers
Message #7 Posted by Bart (UK) on 16 Dec 2009, 4:42 a.m.,
in response to message #6 by John B. Smitherman

In the US maybe, but in the UK for instance it is no longer available. (Except on TAS)

                        
Re: hp 35s Odd Behaviour: Fractions in Complex Numbers
Message #8 Posted by Mohammed Hadi on 15 Dec 2009, 10:13 p.m.,
in response to message #5 by Paul Dale

Why does everyone shun and hate me so? It's not my fault I was born deformed! Blame my parents (designers) for "experimenting" and leading an unhealthy life style...

---a bitter 33s

                              
Re: hp 35s Odd Behaviour: Fractions in Complex Numbers
Message #9 Posted by Don Shepherd on 16 Dec 2009, 6:07 a.m.,
in response to message #8 by Mohammed Hadi

Quote:
Why does everyone shun and hate me so?

Although many are apparently putoff by the chevron key layout and lack of a big ENTER key, I consider those complaints to be trivial. Even the tiny decimal point doesn't bother me. If speed of program execution and number base support are important to you--and they are to me--the 33s beats the 35s hands down.

      
Re: hp 35s Odd Behaviour: Fractions in Complex Numbers
Message #10 Posted by Ángel Martin on 10 Dec 2009, 7:19 a.m.,
in response to message #1 by Mohammed Hadi

maybe some things are not meant to be combined, like fraction input on complex numbers... but of course that should be clearly mentioned.

As much as I like it, the "i" functionality isn't as rugged as one would expect. Try for instance entering real and imaginary parts both with more than 9 decimal places (or mantissa length) and you'll also see it doing strange things.

Cheers, ÁM

            
Re: hp 35s Odd Behaviour: Fractions in Complex Numbers
Message #11 Posted by Thomas Radtke on 10 Dec 2009, 7:22 a.m.,
in response to message #10 by Ángel Martin

Quote:
maybe some things are not meant to be combined, like fraction input on complex numbers... but of course that should be clearly mentioned.
There's one thing that really should have been clearly mentioned: Beta testers being the target audience for new HP calculators.

Sorry.


[ Return to Index | Top of Index ]

Go back to the main exhibit hall