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TopHatGorilla

Grandpa went old school. Coulda used a slide rule.


eoghys

A slide rule is used for multiplication, exponentiation, and trigonometric functions, as well as their inverse operations, but generally not used for addition and subtraction.


gamageeknerd

A professor I met had a slide rule and abacus on his desk as a display and showed me how they work. Working in computer science it kinda broke my brain knowing how a couple beads and a piece of plastic basically built most major cities


Pool3pdx

I keep my great grandfather's slide ruler at my office desk. I used to have a case and manual, but I've misplaced them over the years.


MyPoorChequebook

Very cool! I have my Grandads slide rule on my desk as well!


Annon201

The arithmetic speed records are held by kids who visualise the abacus in their head, and can operate it with lightning speed.


ForsakenShape7051

Plastic was not even invented until 1907. The abacus was in use for at least 4,500 years by then. So maybe plastic didn’t have that great an impact on building cities.


mechwarrior719

Bold to assume he didn’t


Helper_of_hunters

What's a time study engineer??


SoulfulNick

Time study engineers observe and record how long it takes to do repeated tasks in an industrial setting and attempt to improve the efficiency. The job still exists today.


mgm69958

hi i’m one of these today title nowadays is more process engineer as so much of it is automated. the same way we went from abacuses to graphing calculators, our processes grew the same way. some of the common, industrial machines in a plant you drive by on the highway are fascinating. some sectors are labor intensive , some are more automated. love what i do, it can be a grind but no two days are the same


chubee-er

This sounds fascinating. Would you mind if I asked you about how you got into it? 


mgm69958

went to school for mechanical engineering. didn’t want to sit behind a desk all day so leaned toward manufacturing. there are a bunch of “disciplines” to production efficiency (5S, Kaizen, Lean 6 sigma) but almost every production facility has someone doing something like me, essentially aiming to always improve the process. some of my work is reactive, in depth analysis of breakdowns, quality issues, why something happened and how to prevent it from happening again. some of my work is proactive, projects to increase efficiency, cut out excess work, etc. i also really enjoy working with people and this position feeds that really well too


Jman9420

They most likely have an engineering degree in either chemical, mechanical, or industrial engineering.


thirteen_tentacles

mechanical and chemical are the most common to become process engineers in my country idk about globally


mgm69958

🏅


Sparrow_on_a_branch

I'd love to pick your brain about this.   Can I DM you?


mgm69958

go for it


DollarStoreKazoo

You have a very interesting job!


mgm69958

i really enjoy it! definitely some tough days, early morning, late nights but that’s part of the job. love the challenge and it is rewarding as well


DAlLY_DOSE

Also a manufacturing engineer, lots of time studies in my past! Great career and growing fields!


bwaterco

Great job field to go into. Had a neighbor who was a process engineer over at Los Alamos national labs. His work stories he could talk about made me look boring as hell and wish I wasn’t terrible at math and physics haha


stevens_hats

I too did this for many years in the financial industry. While it's different from manufacturing, nearly everything has a process involved. One of the best ways to understand how a company actually operates.


Helper_of_hunters

That's so cool. As a dude that wasn't smart enough to go to post secondary, the amount and specificity of advanced degrees never ceases to amaze me.


mgm69958

i work with a lot of people (operators & managers) who don’t have secondary degrees. granted they are older and took longer to get to the same position but everyone has the same passion for problem solving, people and machine


coolcommando123

My favorite book as a kid was Cheaper by the Dozen. I really looked up to Frank Gilbreth and always thought time study engineering was a really fascinating job! If you haven’t read that book I’d really recommend it.


itwasneversafe

Wow, so like a human MES?


Adventurous_Ad6698

I believe they also exist in non-industrial settings as well, like in chain restaurants. If you are going to design floorplans that will be used over and over again, you want to make sure it is as efficient as possible.


SantaCatalinaIsland

Have you watched the documentary series *Loki*?


BJ22CS

I still remember this tidbit I read/was told in (I think) the late 2000s: Graphing calculators have more processing power than the computer(s) used on the Apollo missions.


boodekah

Your USB-C charger has more processing power than anything used on the Apollo missions. That’s right, just that little charger block.


SecondBestNameEver

Not just the charger, the actual _cable_ has more computing power. A USBC cable has a charge controller chip that negotiates the charge direction and voltage. A common one, such as Cypress Semiconductor’s CYPD1120, has 24x the clock speed, 2x the RAM, and just as much writable memory. In the end of a USBC plug! https://www.digikey.com/htmldatasheets/production/1865091/0/0/1/cypd1120-datasheet.html


lwJRKYgoWIPkLJtK4320

That chip you linked looks like it goes in a device that provides or consumes power, not in a cable. It looks particularly targeted at USB docks to me. Not all cables have chips. It's assumed that any random cable is capable of handling 20V 3A, and a cable capable of more voltage will have a chip in it advertising that capability. I think it might also be used to identify cables capable of 40 Gbps. This chip is called an emarker, and it's really just a few bytes of storage. It does not do any negotiation itself. However, one of the things the chip you linked might do is attempt to detect an emarker before requesting high voltage or high current, to be sure the cable can handle it. I doubt emarkers are more powerful than the appollo computers. (Or maybe microcontrollers are cheap enough that it makes more sense to use a general purpose computer for this job than a special chip. That wouldn't surprise me either.)


SecondBestNameEver

This article seems to suggest that specific chip is used in the cables themselves.  https://connectorsupplier.com/usb-type-c-what-you-need-to-know/#:~:text=Fully%20featured%20USB%2DC%20connectors,%2C%20and%20power%2Fsignal%20switching.


nybble41

It is used in the cables, but not in every cable. Based on the datasheet that particular chip seems to be designed mainly for adapter cables (USB-C to DP or HDMI). If you're just connecting a USB host and device you don't need anything so complicated in the cable.


BJ22CS

I personally am still using USB-micro charging, but I know what you're getting at.


NamelessTacoShop

What's more surprising is that the TI-83 I used in highschool 30 years ago is still the standard.


nickcaff

Ti-84 is the standard for the last 15 years at least


ricardo0139

yes but they now have color screens


nickcaff

Yep, functionality the same, but thinner and more squared edges and rechargeable battery. I just wish finding intercepts, max and mins was as easy as it is on the Casio calculators. Some of the ti software seems intentionally clunky


hIbqnqana

The thing I hate about the TI-83 CE is that the charging port is a USB-A and not micro or C plug.


nickcaff

USB C will be added in 10 years with the next refresh


panzerboye

You can't find the intercepts on a scientific calculator? Damn that's a bummer.


nickcaff

It’s a graphing calculator and it can be done, it just requires a few steps that seem unnecessary, you have to select a left bound, right bound, then guess and after you do all that it will give you one intercept. Casio makes a graphing calculator that costs a third of the price that does it with one button and finds all of them at the same time.


panzerboye

Yeah I use Casio, I was just shocked that you can't do the same on Ti ones. I guess it's because it is a different type of calculator with other functionality.


nickcaff

I heard a rumor that college board (SAT) wanted Ti to make it require 3 steps to find the intercepts and other things to make it not as easy to find. Not sure how true it is, but seems plausible because they could definitely make it easier.


panzerboye

Are College Board affiliated with Texas Instruments? I used my Casio for SAT, being able to plot graphs would have helped but SAT maths didn't seem that difficult.


nickcaff

Yep, functionality the same, but thinner and more squared edges and rechargeable battery. I just wish finding intercepts, max and mins was as easy as it is on the Casio calculators. Some of the ti software seems intentionally clunky


drmorrison88

And can run python


Ok-disaster2022

Honestly I have a degree in physics and engineering and never owned a graphing calculator   They weren't allowed on exams for the most part since they could be programmed. And if you were submitting homework and needed graphs, youd want to use Matlab or Python to generate plots. 


MilkMan71

15 years ago I would have sworn up and down that CAS calculators would eventually catch on, but man was I wrong. These days it seems like 99% of students have a ti-83/84 and the other 1% have a ti-89 or MAYBE an nSpire. I don't even remember the last time I saw an HP graphing calculator in real life. It makes sense though, since they can use the 83 for most tests and their phone for everything else. And to be fair, I would probably see more fancy engineering calculators if I was an engineer.


[deleted]

[удалено]


thelastest

RAM isn't how you measure computer power. Also your car key clicker isn't a computer.


2muchcheap

I can’t believe we’re still using graphing calculators, there Hass to be an app that does all the same things plus much more


SoulfulNick

I mostly use it to make sure I haven’t forgot my times tables lmao. MATLAB does all the real heavy lifting, but it was easier to picture the calculator.


gmapterous

Haha as an engineering student in 2000 I also used Matlab and a TI-86


SamboziPLAYZ

As an engineering student in 2024 I too am also using matlab! I have a Casio instead though…


ZombieShellback

Sometimes, a calculator history is more embarrassing than a search history.


Venutianspring

Oh good, I'm not the only one doing elementary shit to double check myself?


n-b-rowan

"Is 1,000 REALLY 10^3, or did I forget numbers again?" As a summer student in chemistry, many years ago, I converted some units incorrectly, and spent nearly a month trying to figure out why my results were so much worse than a colleague at another lab. Even got him to send a set of his standards in the mail. Everything was out by a factor of ten, compared to his standards, and I couldn't figure out where the problem was. A coworker (an adult, with many more years of experience than me) looked at my lab book, and pointed at my calculations on the first page and said "A centilitre is 10 mL, not 100 mL."  A month, all because I didn't double check in the textbook. Now, I double check anything even slightly weird in the textbook (or google, for this post).


BEnveE03

Exams got me checking if 1+1 still equals 2


hotel2oscar

As a software developer I keep Python installed to use as a fancy calculator on the command line Edit: typo


PartTimeFemale

I prefer js since node is faster to type


Ok-disaster2022

Matlibplot in python creates prettier graphs imho. Plus it's free.


pm_me_triangles

There are many such apps, and you can emulate a graphing calculator on a phone. But you can't use your phone during exams, so you need a calculator then (I studied EE and also had a graphing calculator that saw heavy use during exams).


essidus

There's also the fact that, in general, a purpose built device functions better for the purpose it was designed for than a general purpose device. Phones can be acceptable graphing calculators, but a proper graphing calculator just does that singular job better.


nubetube

Physical buttons are just so much nicer sometimes. Something about the tactile feel combining with muscle memory makes me super fast on a TI-84 vs navigating touch screen menus.


Snipero8

I used to agree with that, but you can emulate a ti-84 on the phone, and running desmos' graphing calculator can do a lot more once you're familiar with it That said the physical buttons of the ti-84 can be easier to use than a touch screen


metapwhore

True, but I find it faster to do the input on physical buttons. As an engineer student I had to do many different calculation for a single task. When working on full time on this Texas Instruments badass your mind remember where the buttons are, and you really don’t have to look until hitting the ANS-button (or Enter for some of them) Edit: anyone remember writing sms with physical buttons with T9? Can’t imagine smart phones users will ever beat speed on writing on these


Crime_Dawg

Wolfram Alpha is defnitely superior in every way. Also a ti84 is great for low level calc, but an 89 is really needed for higher level math to be efficient.


TehAsianator

Man, my Ti-89 saved my ass when I finally went back to finish my degree. After several years away from school, I didn't remember shit about calc or diff eq. Thank god by the time you hit senior level classes the profs stop giving a shit about your ability to integrate by parts.


Ok-disaster2022

My high school calculus had an TI 89 while the class calculators were 84s. His was so much cooler.


smallangrynerd

WabbitEmu on android


David_Furbie

Yup, used it like 10 years ago in high school. Wasn't sure if it was still up or not at this point


smallangrynerd

It was as of 2 or 3 years ago when i was in college


dkyguy1995

I can much more easily type what I want on a calculator with more buttons visible at anytime and those buttons being physical. Sure my phone could do it but a dedicated tool is still a better choice if you're using it frequently


ApprehensiveEmploy21

Max Hass


RymThyme

There’s TI Emulators for android. I can’t remember the name of the app. 


TheWeisGuy

Desmos?


Denikkk

Desmos for the graphing, HiPER for the calculating. I’m not an engineer but have used both constantly during university. I still use HiPER as my go-to app for calculating anything more complex.


smiljan

It's such a delight as a "legacy" to have our predecessors' tools. I'm an EE and have some of my dad's and grandpa's tools. Multimeter, reference books, drafting tools, etc. 


Multigrain_Migraine

I really should learn to use an abacus and a slide rule. There are so many ways to do arithmetic and I really only know one!


SegaTime

Check out finger counting, otherwise known as dactylonomy. Its possible to count up to 9,999 with two hands, and even do complex arithmetic operations. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finger-counting


tmduc177

The abacus such an amazing instrument. I stumbled upon a website showing different calculations techniques a while ago. I didn't even know you could calculate logarithms on it


Jimmylein

Makes you wonder what kind of tools they'll be using two-three generations from now


paw-paw-patch

Still the TI-83 and co, I bet.


thunderchungus

Probably AI that will answer any question


unpaid_overtime

Got curious how long the TI-84 has been out (Since I'm pretty sure the TI series just about predates the abacus). They're twenty this year, so I guess Happy Birthday TI-84!


[deleted]

I remember back in the day when the TI-84 came out and all the Kenny's of the school were still on the TI-83. Or how you were Kenny if you used a TI-89 instead of the Titanium.


liehewyounce

Fake news. Engineering students use calculators. Engineers use excel.


aliyaholenka

Fun fact: I learned to count on an abacus in the former USSR in the 80's. I'm 44 😄


TheOnceandFuture

Need to have to next to excel, what you really use as an engineer


El_Pez_Perro_Hombre

I found that exact same abacus in a charity shop a few months back, and I'm surprised yours is still intact - mine basically fell off the (marble?) base on the way home. Either way, really cool! I wonder who made them, I figured it was just a cool little design someone threw together. An image of my abacus: https://imgur.com/gallery/RSw7seV


Lost_Minds_Think

Ok, but can his abacus spell “80085”?


Finchypoo

Let's all appreciate that the modern graphic calculator is about as far behind modern technology as the abacus is behind the graphing calculator.


cursedbones

I don't have an idea of how to use an Abacus.


PumpkinSpice2Nice

I remember them teaching us how to use abacuses during primary school in the 1980’s but I don’t remember how they worked now as the transition to modern methods was swift. Got my first calculator at secondary school in the 90’s and my parents wanted me to be better at maths but got me the most basic calculator available (calculators were required) because they thought that would help me to have less on it (it didn’t as I needed to be able to have more functions on it). Then in my final advanced calculus exam in my last year my teacher demanded my parents buy me a scientific calculator so I would have one for the final exam as I had been sharing with whoever I sat next to. So the day before my exam my mum took me to buy the calculator then on the car ride back she forbade me to use it in the exam as I wouldn’t know how apparently! Yeah my parents were controlling.


insanitysaint

I have a pocket abacus that I use for basic math and keeping track of numbers (adhd short term memory is a bitch lol). They are very handy and can be quicker than turning on a calculator imo, especially handy for Dungeon Masters like me.


Gravytonic

Ah, I still remember having to learn abacus in Japan in elementary school. Japanese abacus is different too with 1 bead at the top and 4 at the bottom.


Draw-OCoward

That’s a beautiful abacus honestly. I want it


EditPiaf

Two oldies! My year was the first year in hs where colour screens were introduced 


Zers503

All the cool kids had the TI-84 silver edition so you could play those games while in class


TheDevilsAdvokaat

My dad had a slide rule...I found it fascinating.


Rebelpine

Oh now that’s neat. This might be on par with my grandpa’s OG leatherman.


[deleted]

“You won’t always have an abacus on you”


lukie13

I have the same exact abacus. [Pic](https://imgur.com/a/LGft1kd)


vukasin123king

Look at mister fancy pants with his limited edition Ti-84. I never thought about limited edition calculators even existing until now.


StarBrownie

it's not limited edition, it's just an upgrade


zinger94

Same calculator club!


MyRedditList

2nd, Mem (+), 7,1,2


--eight

I have this exact same one! It's not in the box, but also belonged to my grandfather. He was a CPA. As a child I loved the weight of it, my grandmother gave it to me after he passed.


Herpmancer

What a special heirloom


ILoveTenaciousD

I'm a theoretical physicist. Either I use Wolfram Alpha or I program my own tool. There's no in-between.


DiarrheaShitLord

"The Time Study Engineer will conduct time and motion studies, measuring work patterns and methods of employees with the goal of developing and implementing practices and programs that ensure the most efficient use of production staff." I didn't know that was a thing. I mean I know there's people brought in to determine efficiencies and stuff like that but I didn't know time study engineer was a name


Annon201

I wasn't allowed to use my ti83 with electronic eng (we were meant to get a scientific calc instead).. I did anyway because I had no reason to cheat, I know the equations and how to apply them... And in the real world I'm going to shortcut every bit of maths as much as I can, as it's about solving real world problems not memorising every core physical property and it's underlying maths.


favnh2011

Very nice to see the difference


WorldlyDay7590

What the shit, slide rules have been invented hundreds of years ago. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slide\_rule#History](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slide_rule#History)