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Re: Degree Calculator
From: Brad Morris
Date: 2018 Nov 26, 08:52 -0500
From: Brad Morris
Date: 2018 Nov 26, 08:52 -0500
Hello David
Not just the HP35, but the array of electronic calculators during that era served to put an end to tables. Other than special purpose, large cylindrical slide rules, no other method than tables gave good results. Any electronic calculator changed that, even if you had to look up sin/cos/tan in a trig table.
The HP answer to the great circle problem shows the empty resolution afforded by calculators. The answer given was 2254.093016 miles [see image]. That provides us a result to ~ 1/2 INCH. Which part of the vessel will be on that location? Was that resolution necessary? Clearly not.
Brad
On Mon, Nov 26, 2018, 8:34 AM David C <NoReply_DavidC@fer3.com wrote:
I suspect that introduction of the HP35 was the death knell for pre-computed tables, short methods and volumes such as Nories. Others may care to comment.
The June 1972 issue of the Hewlett-Packard Journal has several articles about the HP35. Here is a brief explanation of algorithms and accuracy in the HP35. Also attached is a comparison of the HP35 with a slide rule. One of the calculations is of a great circle distance using the cos formula.
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