Re: HP 20S recurring key identification Message #5 Posted by Katie Wasserman on 22 Nov 2010, 1:53 p.m., in response to message #3 by Nigel J Dowrick
I have a Bohn Omnitrex 8 desktop calculator. Its extremely simple logic using DTL chips doens't implement any sort of decimal point. The way it does division is to simply show a "running quotient", meaning that it only stores the remainder and the divisor and just keeps going. Because of this it allows infinitely long quotients and therefore, in some sense, recurring decimals.
For example if you divide 1 by 7 and keep hitting the "=" key you'll see: 142857142857........ If you give it something with a larger period like 1 divided by 181 you'll see: 005524861878........ and it will keep going for 180 digits then repeat.
It's pretty neat, very primitive and the only calculator that I've ever come across that does this.
-Katie
Edited: 22 Nov 2010, 1:53 p.m.
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