Introduction: Waste Time With a Calculator
Ever been stuck somewhere (Waiting room, waiting on food, math class) and only had a calculator to play with? It happens to me all the time.
At first you may type out some stuff like 99999 X 1.0012874, but stuff like that gets boring very quickly.
Then you may begin to spell stuff like hEllO, but you run out of things to do after that.
I'll do my best to show you how to do some various things on a calculator.
At first you may type out some stuff like 99999 X 1.0012874, but stuff like that gets boring very quickly.
Then you may begin to spell stuff like hEllO, but you run out of things to do after that.
I'll do my best to show you how to do some various things on a calculator.
Step 1: My Calculator
My main calculator is a CASIO fx-300MS. They are common (Got mine at Walmart for $10) and have quite a few functions, but are cheap and are usually allowed to be used in the classroom because they are not graphing calculators.
As you can see, mine is beaten and mistreated, bestickered and drawn on, but it still keeps going.
Sorry about the terrible pictures, using the flash made it over-exposed looking, but not using it makes it look fuzzy.
As you can see, mine is beaten and mistreated, bestickered and drawn on, but it still keeps going.
Sorry about the terrible pictures, using the flash made it over-exposed looking, but not using it makes it look fuzzy.
Step 2: The Basics
We probably all know that a calculator can be used for writing certain words.
Many of you have typed 0.1134 into a calculator to get "hEllo".
Pretty much any word with I, S, L, Z, E, O, B, G, and H can be spelled.
This gives many more possibilities than you might expect. Did you know that Eloise can be spelled,
and so can "hobo" and so can "BIOS" (If you're a geek).
I found This site, which has tons of words you can spell on a calculator.
Some calculators have some special letters. Mine has the letters A-F, plus X, Y, and M. I found out that I could get a "P" by pressing shift+nCr. Pi (the symbol) can be substituted for "n".
Though remember, doing math on a calculator can still be fun...
Many of you have typed 0.1134 into a calculator to get "hEllo".
Pretty much any word with I, S, L, Z, E, O, B, G, and H can be spelled.
This gives many more possibilities than you might expect. Did you know that Eloise can be spelled,
and so can "hobo" and so can "BIOS" (If you're a geek).
I found This site, which has tons of words you can spell on a calculator.
Some calculators have some special letters. Mine has the letters A-F, plus X, Y, and M. I found out that I could get a "P" by pressing shift+nCr. Pi (the symbol) can be substituted for "n".
Though remember, doing math on a calculator can still be fun...
Step 3: Press the Buttons
If you have a slightly more advanced calculator, like mine, lots of fun can be had just pressing buttons to see what they do. That's what they're there for.
It was an entire year after I had gotten my calculator that I found the Ran# function, which generates a random number between 1 and 0. Plenty of fun can be made from this button, which I'll get to later.
I STILL occasionally find new things on this simple calculator.
It was an entire year after I had gotten my calculator that I found the Ran# function, which generates a random number between 1 and 0. Plenty of fun can be made from this button, which I'll get to later.
I STILL occasionally find new things on this simple calculator.
Step 4: Make Up Games
You can make up simple games for a calculator.
1:Guess a number
I like to key in "Ran# x 10 + 1"
That gives me a random number between 1 and 10, including 10. I then try to guess the number that will come up next.
2:Memory
Key in 6 random two digit numbers, and then cover them up so that you can't see them.
Try to remember all of them. It's extremely difficult because the brain can only easily remember 5 numbers at a time. Check your guess.
3:Pi attack
Type out pi as best you can. Press enter and then press the pi button and then enter. Did your answer change? Did you mess up or did you BEAT the calculator? (I already know pi to 21 digits, so I beat it every time.)
4:High score
This one can be done on most calculators.
Type 1, and then press equals. type +1 and press equals as many times as you can. See how high you can get the number to go. In a half hour you can get 5,000 or more.
1:Guess a number
I like to key in "Ran# x 10 + 1"
That gives me a random number between 1 and 10, including 10. I then try to guess the number that will come up next.
2:Memory
Key in 6 random two digit numbers, and then cover them up so that you can't see them.
Try to remember all of them. It's extremely difficult because the brain can only easily remember 5 numbers at a time. Check your guess.
3:Pi attack
Type out pi as best you can. Press enter and then press the pi button and then enter. Did your answer change? Did you mess up or did you BEAT the calculator? (I already know pi to 21 digits, so I beat it every time.)
4:High score
This one can be done on most calculators.
Type 1, and then press equals. type +1 and press equals as many times as you can. See how high you can get the number to go. In a half hour you can get 5,000 or more.
Step 5: Push the Boundries
Us on Instructables know that the best use of an object is the one it's not designed for.
I like to push calculators to their limits. Some ideas:
Do arithmetic on system messages. I've heard that on some calculators you can do arithmetic on system messages like ErrOr to get things you couldn't make usually. Try using the memory recall just after you turn your calculator on. I've heard that you can get some values from the "boot up" of the calculator. This would give you weird symbols and letters unavailable elsehow. I've never gotten this to work on all of the two calculators I've tried it on. I can put letters and numbers to either side of the message, but never inside it, and I can't change it in any way.
Check the accuracy. I don't know how. You'll have to find out on your own.
Hit it. I don't recommend this on anything you care about. Try hitting the calculator against something until the screen shows all eights or something.
Touch the screen. This one is the easiest. Turn the calculator on and press firmly on the LCD screen. All sorts of pretty colors and lines will appear. Contrary to what some of you might say, I have never had a calculator break or have the screen be damaged by this.
Find the screen checker Soobs told me about this one! On some calculators it is possible to go into a screen testing mode that they use at the factory. My Casioo will do it if I press shift, 7, and on
ALL AT THE SAME TIME. After that keep pressing shift to cycle through them all.
I like to push calculators to their limits. Some ideas:
Do arithmetic on system messages. I've heard that on some calculators you can do arithmetic on system messages like ErrOr to get things you couldn't make usually. Try using the memory recall just after you turn your calculator on. I've heard that you can get some values from the "boot up" of the calculator. This would give you weird symbols and letters unavailable elsehow. I've never gotten this to work on all of the two calculators I've tried it on. I can put letters and numbers to either side of the message, but never inside it, and I can't change it in any way.
Check the accuracy. I don't know how. You'll have to find out on your own.
Hit it. I don't recommend this on anything you care about. Try hitting the calculator against something until the screen shows all eights or something.
Touch the screen. This one is the easiest. Turn the calculator on and press firmly on the LCD screen. All sorts of pretty colors and lines will appear. Contrary to what some of you might say, I have never had a calculator break or have the screen be damaged by this.
Find the screen checker Soobs told me about this one! On some calculators it is possible to go into a screen testing mode that they use at the factory. My Casioo will do it if I press shift, 7, and on
ALL AT THE SAME TIME. After that keep pressing shift to cycle through them all.
Step 6: A Final and Unavoidable Use
Hitting people. Not hitting to damage, just a quick painful tap on the head.
1-Select victim (someone you don't know)
2-grasp the bottom half of the calculator firmly between the thumb and index finger, as in holding a pencil, not picking up a coin.
3-Hold calculator over victim's head.
4-Using only the wrist tap your victim (hard)on the head with the top corner of the calculator.
5-RUN
1-Select victim (someone you don't know)
2-grasp the bottom half of the calculator firmly between the thumb and index finger, as in holding a pencil, not picking up a coin.
3-Hold calculator over victim's head.
4-Using only the wrist tap your victim (hard)on the head with the top corner of the calculator.
5-RUN
Step 7: The End
That was my first instructable. Constructive criticism welcome.
That calculator has saved my life from death by boredom. Give me a calculator and I'll never be bored.
That calculator has saved my life from death by boredom. Give me a calculator and I'll never be bored.
