Editing Sinclair Scientific (section)

==History==
In 1972, [[Hewlett-Packard]] launched the [[HP-35]], the world's first handheld scientific calculator.<ref name=hp35>{{cite web |url=http://www.vintagecalculators.com/html/hewlett_packard_hp-35.html |title=Hewlett Packard HP-35 |publisher=Vintage Calculators |access-date=9 December 2013}}</ref> Despite market research suggesting that it was too expensive for there to be any real demand, production went ahead.<ref name=hpvm>{{cite web |url=http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/abouthp/histnfacts/museum/personalsystems/0023/ |title=HP-35 handheld scientific calculator, 1972 |publisher=HP |access-date=4 January 2014}}</ref> It cost {{USD|395}} (about {{GBP|165}}), but despite the price, over 300,000 were sold in the three and a half years for which it was produced.<ref name=hp35/><ref name=hpvm/>

From 1971, [[Texas Instruments]] had been making available the building block for a simple calculator on a single chip<ref name=dm>{{cite web |url=http://datamath.org/Chips/TMS0803.htm |title=Texas Instruments TMS0803 |publisher=datamath.org |access-date=4 January 2014}}</ref> and the TMS0803 chipset appeared in a number of Sinclair calculators.<ref name=dm/><ref name=eng/> [[Clive Sinclair]] wanted to design a calculator to compete with the HP-35 using this series of chips. Despite scepticism about the feasibility of the project from Texas Instruments engineers, [[Nigel Searle]] was able to design algorithms that sacrificed some speed and accuracy in order to implement scientific functions<ref name=eng/> on the TMS0805 variation.<ref name=dm/>

The Sinclair Scientific first appeared in a case derived from that of the [[Sinclair Cambridge]], but it was not part of the same range.<ref name=ss/> The initial retail price was {{GBP|49.95}} in the UK ({{Inflation|UK|49.95|1974|2016|fmt=eq|cursign=£}}), and in the US for {{USD|99.95}} as a kit or {{USD|139.95}} fully assembled.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://zxnext.narod.ru/hist7275_2.htm |title=Неизвестный Синклер (Unknown Sinclair) |last=Свиридов |first=Константин |access-date=9 December 2013|language=ru}}</ref> By July 1976, however, it was possible to purchase one for {{GBP|7}}<ref name=ss>{{cite web |url=http://www.vintagecalculators.com/html/scientific___giant_scientific.html |title=Sinclair Scientific & Sinclair Giant Scientific |publisher=Vintage Calculators |access-date=9 December 2013}}</ref> ({{Inflation|UK|7|1976|2016|fmt=eq|cursign=£}}).

The Sinclair Scientific Programmable was introduced in August 1975, and was larger than the Sinclair Scientific, at {{convert |73|x|155|x|34|mm|in}}.<ref name=vcss>{{cite web |url=http://www.vintagecalculators.com/html/scientific_prog_.html |title=Sinclair Scientific Programmable |publisher=Vintage Calculators |access-date=9 December 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://mycalcdb.free.fr/main.php?l=0&id=2464 |title=Sinclair Scientific Programmable |publisher=mycalcdb.free.fr |access-date=4 January 2014}}</ref> It was advertised as "the first ... calculator to offer a ... programming facility ... at a price within the reach of the general public," but was limited by having only 24 program steps.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rskey.org/CMS/index.php/exhibit-hall/7?manufacturer=Sinclair&model=Scientific%20Programmable |title=Sinclair Scientific Programmable |publisher=rskey.org |access-date=9 December 2013}}</ref>

Both the Sinclair Scientific and the Sinclair Scientific Programmable were manufactured in England, like all other Sinclair calculators except the [[Sinclair President]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vintagecalculators.com/html/president.html |title=President |publisher=Vintage Calculators |access-date=10 December 2013}}</ref>