Calculator

Input Modern 2016 electronic calculators contain a keyboard with buttons for digits and arithmetical operations; some even contain "00" and "000" buttons to make larger or smaller numbers easier to enter. Most basic calculators assign only one digit or operation on each button; however, in more specific calculators, a button can perform multi-function working with key combinations. Display output Calculators usually have liquid-crystal displays (LCD) as output in place of historical light-emitting diode (LED) displays and vacuum fluorescent displays (VFD); details are provided in the section Technical improvements. Large-sized figures and comma separators are often used to improve readability. Various symbols for function commands may also be shown on the display. Fractions such as  1⁄3 are displayed as decimal approximations, for example rounded to 0.33333333. Also, some fractions (such as  1⁄7, which is 0.14285714285714; to 14 significant f...

This article is about the electronic device. For mechanical precursors to the modern calculator, see Mechanical calculator. For other uses, see Calculator (disambiguation). An electronic pocket calculator with a liquid-crystal display (LCD) seven-segment display, that can perform arithmetic operations. A modern scientific calculator with a dot matrix LCD. An electronic calculator is a small, portable electronic device used to perform calculations, ranging from basic arithmetic to complex mathematics. The first solid state electronic calculator was created in the 1960s, building on the extensive history of tools such as the abacus (developed around 2000 BC), and the mechanical calculator (developed in the 17th century AD). It was developed in parallel with the analog computers of the day. The pocket sized devices became available in the 1970s, especially after the first microprocessor, the Intel 4004, developed by Intel for the Japanese calculator company Busicom. ...