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Does the HP-35S need a 'guide for dummies' how-to guide?
03-09-2015, 04:43 PM
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RE: Does the HP-35S need a 'guide for dummies' how-to guide?
(03-08-2015 12:11 PM)MagyarBoy Wrote:  .............................

Please let me know what you think. How did *you* learn to use the HP-35S, if you have one? Did you just pick it up and learn as you went, checking the official manual as needed? Or did you study the official manual, and learn that way? How did it go?

Thanks for your comments.

Is there a need for more awareness of RPN and HP calculators as a choice for first time buyers? With HPs disappearing from store shelves the brand may not even come to mind when a school aged purcheser is shopping. It's been so long since I was looking for my first scientific calculator I forget how I was even introduced to HP. At the time, the choices for a scientific calculator (square root, trig, etc) were pretty much just HP and TI, so one tended to shop those two brands.

It seems that there was and is a natural human aversion to a keyboard without an equals sign when first introduced. I would guess that most HP users had to overcome this "change" before adopting RPN. Looking back, it was but a small jump to a much more natural way of thinking. That being said, my fellow engineering students fell into 2 definate camps, about 60% TI, 40% HP. It seems like your mental orientation was compatable with either one or the other approach and it was rare to find a user that felt natural with both. Humans are funny.

I guess my question is: what percentage of potential scientific calculator users know of the RPN choice? And, do the HP models today that offer both RPN and Algebraic entry offer a bridge that allows a first time user to start out using the equals sign and explore RPN at his/her lesure. If this is a common path to RPN, then the question would become the availability and exposure of HP as a brand.

Mark
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RE: Does the HP-35S need a 'guide for dummies' how-to guide? - MarkMason - 03-09-2015 04:43 PM



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