(January 28, 2022 at 11:05 pm)Ferrocyanide Wrote:(January 28, 2022 at 10:54 pm)Jehanne Wrote: Calculator properties -- Infix, Postfix & Prefix; statistical, graphical, vector capable, programmable, radians versus degrees, etc.
That would be calculator functions.
If the calculator is made of a semiconductor, such as silicon N and P type, then someone is using the intrinsic properties of that semi-conductor to build, transistors, resistors, diodes (electronic components).
By connecting various electronic components together, you get certain circuits for doing certain mathematical functions.
A function takes the form of
take input 1, take input 2, ....take input N.
Output output 1, output 2, ....output N
Function could also mean purpose.
What is the function of a hammer? To drive nails into wood.
Calculators are computers (at least these days), and with computers, one has hierarchy and encapsulation. And, so, a NAND gate may require 2 physical transitors, a XOR gate 8 transitors, etc. While some work at the physical level (the design and manufacture of transitors), others work at the logical level (the arrangement of logic gates on a PCB). Others "higher up" would work with HDLs, hardware description languages, which enters the realm of firmware. Still higher would be the operating system, the suite of software that manages a computer; higher still would be the application developers, who would code for the UI, the user interface, and implement the various calculator functionality.
Out of this hierarchy of functionality is the emergent object that we call a "calculator".
