 Sinclair Scientific calculator photographed c. 1974 | |
| Type | Scientific |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Sinclair Radionics |
| Introduced | 1974 |
| Cost | £49 + VAT |
| Calculator | |
| Entry mode | RPN |
| Precision | 5 digit significand, 2 digit exponent |
| Display type | Light-emitting diode |
| CPU | |
| Processor | Texas Instruments TMC-0805 |
| Other | |
| Power supply | 4x AAA batteries (Scientific) 1x PP3 battery (Scientific Programmable) |
| Dimensions | 50 by 111 by 19 millimetres (1.97 in × 4.37 in × 0.75 in) (Scientific) 73 by 155 by 34 millimetres (2.9 in × 6.1 in × 1.3 in) (Scientific Programmable) |
The Sinclair Scientific was a 12-function, pocket-sized scientific calculator introduced in 1974, dramatically undercutting in price other calculators available at the time. The Sinclair Scientific Programmable, released a year later, was advertised as the first budget programmable calculator.
Significant modifications to the algorithms used meant that a chipset intended for a four-function calculator was able to process scientific functions, but at the cost of reduced speed and accuracy. Compared to contemporary scientific calculators, some functions were slow to execute, and others had limited accuracy or gave the wrong answer, but the cost of the Sinclair was a fraction of the cost of competing calculators.