Texas Instruments SR-50 Handheld Electronic Calculator
date: label: date made
content: 1974
name: label: maker
content: Texas Instruments
notes: label: Description
content: This is an example of a scientific calculator introduced by Texas Instruments in 1974 that had more extensive capabilities than any previous TI calculator. The handheld electronic calculator has a black plastic case with an array of forty small rectangular plastic keys. In addition to ten digit keys, a decimal point key, a change sign key, a total key, four arithmetic function keys, a clear entry key, and a clear key; the calculator has twenty-one further keys. Some are for entering exponents, pi, storage, recall, summation, exchange, powers, squares, square roots, reciprocals, factorials, general roots, hyperbolic functions, conversion between radians and degrees, natural logarithms, exponents, and common logarithms. Four keys are for trigonometric functions and inverse trigonometric functions. This was the first Texas Instruments calculator to include trigonometric and hyperbolic functions.
label: Description
content: Text above the keys reads: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS SR-50. Behind the keyboard is a switch that may be set at R (radians) or D (degrees). Next to it is an on/off switch. Behind the keyboard is an LED display that shows ten-digit positive and negative numbers and two-digit positive and negative exponents.
label: Description
content: The calculator has a jack for a recharger/adapter along the back edge. A sticker on the back gives instructions. It also gives the serial number SR-50 0523906. It also reads: MANUFACTURED BY (/) TEXAS INSTRUMENTS (/) INCORPORATED (/) DALLAS TEXAS. It also reads: [copyright] 1973 USA. Above the sticker is a compartment for three batteries. A mark below the sticker reads: LTA4375.
label: Description
content: Unscrewing three screws on the back reveals the workings of the calculator. It has two chips of roughly equal size. One is marked: TMC0521NL (/) ΔE7441-5. This is a TMC0521 chip, manufactured in late 1974. The other is marked: TMC0501NL (/) D7441-5. This is a TMC0501 chip, manufactured at the same time.
label: Description
content: The calculator comes in a black plastic zippered case with a belt loop
label: Description
content: References:
label: Description
content: [Advertisement], <I>Los Angeles Times</I>, February 22, 1975, p. E4. Gives price of $149.95 reduced to $119.00.
label: Description
content: [Advertisement], <I>Washington Post</I>, March 11, 1975, p. A4. Gives price of $117.95.
label: Description
content: Guy Ball and Bruce Flamm, <I>The Complete Collector’s Guide to Pocket Calculators</I>, Tustin, CA: Wilson/Barnett, 1997, p. 154. They give a 1974 price of $170.
label: Description
content: Online Datamath Museum, accessed May 15, 2015.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Computers
label: See more items in
content: Computers & Business Machines
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content: Handheld Electronic Calculators
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of John B. Priser
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1986.0988.353
label: catalog number
content: 1986.0988.353
label: accession number
content: 1986.0988
objectType: label: Object Name
content: electronic calculator
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: plastic (case; carrying case material)
label: Physical Description
content: metal (circuitry; zipper material)
label: Physical Description
content: paper (sticker material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 1 1/4 in x 3 in x 5 3/4 in; 3.175 cm x 7.62 cm x 14.605 cm