Hewlett Packard HP-34C
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Hewlett Packard HP-34C
- Type: Programmable RPN Electronic Calculator
- Size: 3 x 5.25 inches / 8 x 13 cm
- Serial number: 2027S34397
- Date of Manufacture: July 1980
With faux leather soft case, and AC adapter. This is one of the last LED models HP produced, before the 41 and 10C series. Includes early versions of HP's numeric integration and root finding algorithms. This was also the last calculator with such a small form factor. People started complaining about the overloaded keys; I think it's cool, myself, and I really only got it because it had three shift keys, [f], [g] and [h].
[edit] Programming Example
Here's a brief snippet from the manual, intended to give readers a glimpse of how far-reaching this calculator was, in functions, popularity and sheer timelessness.
| Vector Arithmetic
You can add or subtract vectors with your HP-34C by using the [Σ+] and [Σ-] in conjunction with [→R] and [→P]. Example: Federation starship Felicity has emerged victorious from a furious battle with the starship Thanatos from the renegade planet Maldek. However, its automatic pilot is kaput, and its main thrust engine is locked on at 37.2 meganewtons directed along an angle of 25.2 degrees from the star Ultima. Consulting the ship's star map, the navigator reports a hyperspace entrance vector of 51 meganewtons at an angle of 41.3 degrees from Ultima. To what thrust and angle should the auxiliary engine be set, for Felicity to achieve alignment with the hyperspace entrance vector? Solution: The required thrust vector of the auxiliary engine is equal to the hyperspace entrance vector minus the thrust vector of the main engine. The vectors are converted to rectangular coordinates using [f][→R], and their difference is calculated using [f][Σ+] and [g][Σ-]. This difference is recalled to the X- and Y-registers using [RCL][f][Σ+]. Then, these rectangular coordinates of the auxiliary engine thrust vector are converted to polar coordinates using [g][→P]. | ||
| Keystrokes | Display | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| [f] CLEAR [Σ] | 0.0000 | Clear statistical registers. (Display assumes no results remain from previous calculations.) |
| [g][DEG] | 0.0000 | Ensures that trigonometric mode is set to degrees. |
| 41.3 [ENTER^] | 41.3000 | Enter angle of hyperspace entrance vector into Y-register. |
| 51 [f][→R] | 38.3145 | Enter magnitude of hyperspace entrance vector into X-register and convert to rectangular coordinates. |
| [f][Σ+] | 1.0000 | Rectangular coordinates of hyperspace entrance vector accumulated in registers R1 and R3. |
| 25.2 [ENTER^] | 25.2000 | Enter angle of main engine thrust vector into Y-register. |
| 37.2 [f][→R] | 33.6596 | Enter magnitude of main engine thrust vector into X-register and convert to rectangular coordinates. |
| [g][Σ-] | 0.0000 | Subtract rectangular coordinates of main engine thrust vector from rectangular coordinates of hyperspace entrance vector in registers R1 and R3 into X-register and Y-register. |
| [RCL][f][Σ-] | 4.6549 | Recall rectangular coordinates of auxiliary engine thrust vector from registers R1 and R3 into X-register and Y-register. |
| [g][→P] | 18.4190 | Convert to polar coordinates. Display shows required magnitude, in meganewtons, of auxiliary engine thrust vector. |
| [X<>Y] | 75.3613 | Required angle of auxiliary thrust vector. |
Well! If this little unit can save a Federation starship's bacon, I better have one for myself!
