Accession No
2655
Brief Description
calculating machine, by Marchant, 1950
Origin
Maker
Marchant
Class
calculating
Earliest Date
1950
Latest Date
1950
Inscription Date
Material
metal; plastic
Dimensions
length 410mm; breadth 340mm; height 225mm
Special Collection
Provenance
Transferred from Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England, 06/1980.
Inscription
‘MARCHANT FIGUREMATIC’
Description Notes
Electrically powered calculator in blue and grey metal casing. Plastic cover (see note).
Condition
References
Events
Description
Calculating machine
A calculating machine could be any machine that adds, subtracts, multiplies or divides. Before about 1820, they were solely produced as marvels and were not sufficiently developed to be of practical use. Direct multiplication was only possible in 1895, and had immediate time-saving application, particularly in the work of insurers and astronomers.
Numbers were represented digitally, with various different methods of entry. Earlier examples usually used rotating wheels with pins protruding. The pins were linked to a weight which fell and registered the number. Later examples were key driven.
18/10/2002
Created by: Saffron Clackson on 18/10/2002
FM:44700
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