Complex TI-57 Programs

[Steve Simpkin]

(08-12-2022 11:08 PM)pauln Wrote:  As I reported earlier, for me it was:

• Lunar Lander
• Biorhythms
  

The TI-57 being mostly an educational tool, it doesn't seem to have many complex programs. But I believe it has potential. In fact it is not too far from the HP-25:

Tie: both calculators have fully merged steps

TI-57 advantage

• subroutines
• 1 additional step (50 vs 49)
  

HP-25 advantage

• can go to an arbitrary step (GTO nn). In a TI-57 you have to declare labels and that takes 1 additional step per label
• both have 8 registers but TI-57 uses Reg 7 for comparisons
• RPN vs AOS. But note that an efficient TI-57 would rarely/never use parenthesis. Instead it will use arithmetic on registers (SUM n, Prd n, etc.)
  

After briefly studying the TI-57 manual I would also add the following advantages
TI-57 advantage

• Labels (see next)
• Ability to add/delete instructions. With its use of labels, this allows you to edit a program without resorting to overwriting instructions with NOPs or overwriting large sections of your program because you cannot insert instructions on the HP-25. Even if you could, the lack of labels would likely require changing GTO instruction lines. This comes from a 10 year user of the HP-25 and is not a criticism (the HP-25 delivered far more than it started out with on the drawing board), but a long desired feature.
• Can perform 2 data point Statistics.
• Can calculate the Variance in Statistics.
• Has "normal" or "standard" display mode that displays only the number of digits after the decimal point that are needed (via FIX 9 or INV FIX).
• Can calculate Xth root.
• Has an EXC function which can exchange the number in memory N with the displayed number.
• Cost much less.
  

HP-25 advantage

• All available functions and instructions are printed on the keyboard (except for register math). There are no hidden or potential obscure operations related to the TI-57's use of the INV key.
• Related to the above, register math key sequences are more obvious (STO - 1 instead of INV SUM 1).
• Two more conditional tests.
• Has Engineering display mode.
• Has forced Scientific display mode.
• Has a % function.
  

One additional undocumented advantage that the TI-57 has over the HP-25 model (not the HP-25C) is that you can turn the TI-57 display off which then draws so little power from the batteries that it is almost like having a constant memory function.
https://www.rskey.org/gene/calcgene/57c.htm