Editing Calculator (section)

==Calculators compared to computers==
{{Unreferenced section|date=March 2009}}
The fundamental difference between a calculator and [[computer]] is that a computer can be [[Computer programming|programmed]] in a way that allows the [[Computer program|program]] to take different [[Branch (computer science)|branches according to intermediate results]], while calculators are pre-designed with specific functions (such as [[addition]], [[multiplication]], and [[logarithm]]s) built in. The distinction is not clear-cut: some devices classed as [[programmable calculator]]s have [[Computer programming|programming]] functions, sometimes with support for [[programming language]]s (such as [[RPL (programming language)|RPL]] or [[TI-BASIC]]).

For instance, instead of a hardware multiplier, a calculator might implement [[floating point]] mathematics with code in [[read-only memory]] (ROM), and compute [[trigonometric function]]s with the [[CORDIC]] algorithm because CORDIC does not require much multiplication. [[Serial communication|Bit serial]] logic designs are more common in calculators whereas [[bit parallel]] designs dominate general-purpose computers, because a bit serial design minimizes [[chipset|chip]] complexity, but takes many more [[clock cycles]]. This distinction blurs with high-end calculators, which use processor chips associated with computer and embedded systems design, more so the [[Z80]], [[MC68000]], and [[ARM architecture family|ARM]] architectures, and some custom designs specialized for the calculator market.