Computers & Business Machines

Apple II Personal Computer

Imagine the loss, 100 years from now, if museums hadn't begun preserving the artifacts of the computer age. The last few decades offer proof positive of why museums must collect continuously—to document technological and social transformations already underway.

The museum's collections contain mainframes, minicomputers, microcomputers, and handheld devices. Computers range from the pioneering ENIAC to microcomputers like the Altair and the Apple I. A Cray2 supercomputer is part of the collections, along with one of the towers of IBM's Deep Blue, the computer that defeated reigning champion Garry Kasparov in a chess match in 1997. Computer components and peripherals, games, software, manuals, and other documents are part of the collections. Some of the instruments of business include adding machines, calculators, typewriters, dictating machines, fax machines, cash registers, and photocopiers

Name: Texas Instruments

Texas Instruments Programmable 58/59 Owner's Manual -A Complete Owner’s Manual for TI Programmable 58/59

Texas Instruments described this softcover book as “A complete owner’s manual for TI Programmable 58/59.” It contains a detailed description of the calculator and methods of programming it by setting up series of functional operations.
Description
Texas Instruments described this softcover book as “A complete owner’s manual for TI Programmable 58/59.” It contains a detailed description of the calculator and methods of programming it by setting up series of functional operations. Received with TI Programmable 59 calculator 1990.0609.01.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1977
maker
Texas Instruments
ID Number
1990.3166.01
catalog number
1990.3166.01
nonaccession number
1990.3166

Western Auto Citation Handheld Electronic Calculator

This is one of a series of handheld electronic calculators manufactured by Texas Instruments and distributed by Western Auto. It has a tan plastic case and an array of twenty-four rectangular tan keys.
Description
This is one of a series of handheld electronic calculators manufactured by Texas Instruments and distributed by Western Auto. It has a tan plastic case and an array of twenty-four rectangular tan keys. In addition to ten digit keys and four arithmetic function keys, there are clear entry/clear, decimal point, total, STO, RCL, pi, inverse, square, square root, and change sign keys. Behind these is an eight-digit LED display. A mark between the display and the keyboard reads: W (/) A Citation. An on/off switch is on the left side and a jacket for a battery adapter on the top edge.
The back has a compartment for a battery toward the bottom. A mark below this reads: 1577 LTA. A mark in the compartment reads: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS (/) INCORPORATED (/) PAT. PEND. A mark behind the compartment reads in part: US PAT 3819921 AND OTHER PATS PENDING (/) WESTERN AUTO (/) 66-4988-3 (/) Serial No. (/) WA 0027751. Further text reads in part: Model AC 9180 Adapter available from your dealer for (/) operation on household line voltage (/) ASSEMBLED IN USA.
A black plastic sleeve almost holds the calculator. A mark on the front of it reads: Sears.
U.S. Patent No. 3819921 was granted to J. Kilby, J. Merryman, and J. H. Van Tassel on January 25, 1974, and assigned to Texas Instruments.
Compare to 1986.0988.191.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1977
distributor
Western Auto Supply Company
maker
Texas Instruments
ID Number
1987.0435.17
catalog number
1987.0435.17
accession number
1987.0435

Jack Kilby's Integrated Circuit

Jack Kilby’s demonstration of the first working integrated circuit (IC) in 1958 revolutionized the field of microelectronics.
Description (Brief)
Jack Kilby’s demonstration of the first working integrated circuit (IC) in 1958 revolutionized the field of microelectronics. Instead of using discrete transistors, resistors, and capacitors to form a circuit, Kilby’s IC design integrated a transistor, a capacitor, and the equivalent of three resistors all on the same chip. Kilby fabricated three types of circuits to test his idea: a flip flop, a multi vibrator and a phase shift oscillator. This chip is the phase-shift oscillator.
The first IC was made out of a thin slice of germanium (the light blue rectangle) as a bulk resistor and contained a single bipolar transistor (under the large aluminum bar in the center). It had four input/output terminals (the small vertical aluminum bars), a ground (the large bar on the far right), and wires of gold. The microchips of today have been improved by hundreds of innovations, but Kilby’s prototype was an important early step.
date made
1958
maker
Texas Instruments
Kilby, Jack S.
ID Number
1987.0487.320
accession number
1987.0487
collector/donor number
G00012
catalog number
1987.0487.320

Texas Instruments TI-30 Handheld Electronic Calculator

This scientific handheld electronic calculator is has a black plastic case with an array of forty small rectangular brown plastic keys. These include ten digit keys, a decimal point key, a change sign key, a total key, and four arithmetic function keys.
Description
This scientific handheld electronic calculator is has a black plastic case with an array of forty small rectangular brown plastic keys. These include ten digit keys, a decimal point key, a change sign key, a total key, and four arithmetic function keys. Further keys are for reciprocals, squares, square roots, off, on/clear, inverse functions, sines, cosines, tangents, degrees, a constant, enter exponent, common logarithms, natural logarithms, powers, pi, percentage, left parenthesis, and right parenthesis. The remaining brown keys are storage, recall, summation, and exchange. The marks indicating the function of keys are on the keyboard above the keys themselves.
Text above the keys reads: TI-30. Text behind this reads: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS. Behind the keyboard is an LED display that shows eight-digit positive and negative numbers.
The calculator has a jack for a recharger/adapter along the right edge. Text on the back reads in part: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS (/) electronic calculator. It also gives the serial number 4910048 and a date mark LTA2177. It also reads: ASSEMBLED IN USA. Below these marks is a compartment for a TI battery pack BP-5. A mark on it reads: LTA 5076. There are no screws for disassembling the calculator.
The calculator comes in a blue and white zippered plastic carrying case with belt loop. Also in the case is a manual with title Texas Instruments electronic slide-rule calculator TI-30 Owner’s Manual.
Compare 2007.0179.03. Also compare the SR-40, 1986.0988.049
According to Ball and Flamm, writing in 1997, the TI-30 was “probably the largest selling calculator of all time.”
Reference:
Guy Ball and Bruce Flamm, The Complete Collector’s Guide to Pocket Calculators, Tustin, CA: Wilson/Barnett, 1997, p. 154. They give a 1976 price of $24.95.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1977
maker
Texas Instruments
ID Number
1986.0988.348
catalog number
1986.0988.348
accession number
1986.0988

Radio Shack EC-4000 Programmable Handheld Electronic Calculator

Radio Shack introduced this programmable handheld calculator in its 1978 catalog as “The First Low-Cost High-Powered Programmable.” It was manufactured in the United States by Texas Instruments and initially cost $79.95.The calculator has a black plastic case and an array of fort
Description
Radio Shack introduced this programmable handheld calculator in its 1978 catalog as “The First Low-Cost High-Powered Programmable.” It was manufactured in the United States by Texas Instruments and initially cost $79.95.
The calculator has a black plastic case and an array of forty rectangular plastic keys. The ten digit keys take on only one meaning; most of the other keys have one meaning written on the key top and another inscribed above it. Programs of up to fifty steps could be entered into the calculator, although there is no provision for saving them.
A mark above the keyboard reads: Radio Shack (/) Programmable. Next to it is a switch. Behind it is a twelve-character red LED display that shows results to eight significant digits. A jack for a power adapter is on the right side. An owner’s mark scratched on the back edge of the calculator reads: Kim Tracy. A sticker at the top of the back reads: Radio Shack CAT. NO. 65-650 (/) EC-4000 PROGRAMMABLE CALCULATOR (/) CUSTOM MFD. IN USA FOR RADIO SHACK, A DIVISION OF (/) TANDY CORPRATION, FORT WORTH, TEXAS 76102. Text molded into the back below the sticker reads: SERIAL NO. (/) 2143603 ATA2679 (/) ASSEMBLED IN USA.
Below the serial number is a compartment for a battery pack. A sticker on the battery pack reads: BATTERY PACK BP-7 (/) See Owner’s Manual for description (/) and replacement. Use no substitutes.
Below the battery pack is a list of U.S. patent numbers assigned to Texas Instruments that protect the calculator. The numbers range from 3819921 (1972) to 4014013 (1975).
The calculator has a black power adaptor marked: Radio Shack (/) AC ADAPTER FOR (/) MODEL EC-4000 (/) CAT. NO. 65-650.
Compare to the TI-57 calculator (1987.0435.02).
Tracy, the former owner and donor of the calculator, obtained it as a high school student growing up on a farm in Missouri. He dates his acquisition to 1978 to 1979, for a price of about $80.00. Radio Shack catalogs list it from 1978 until 1981, with a price of $79.95 in 1978 and 1979 and $59.95 thereafter. Programming the calculator solidified Tracy’s desire to follow a career in computer science.
The overall dimensions listed depend on the position of the cord.
References:
Radio Shack, A Tandy Company, 1978 Catalog No. 289, p. 147, accessed October 3, 2014, at radioshackcatalogs.com. Price listed $79.95.
Radio Shack, A Tandy Company, 1979 Catalog No. 302, p. 130, accessed October 3, 2014, at radioshackcatalogs.com. Price listed $59.95.
Radio Shack, A Tandy Company, 1980 Catalog No. 315, p. 168, accessed October 3, 2014, at radioshackcatalogs.com. Price listed is $59.95.
Radio Shack, A Tandy Company, 1981 Catalog No. 328, p. 164, accessed September 22, 2014 at radioshackcatalogs.com. Price listed is $59.95.
Accession file.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1978-1979
maker
Texas Instruments
ID Number
2014.0179.01
accession number
2014.0179
catalog number
2014.0179.01

Texas Instruments Programmable TI 58C Handheld Electronic Calculator

This programmable scientific calculator, introduced in 1979, is a successor to the TI Programmable 58. Unlike its predecessor, it boasts constant memory (that is to say, programs and numbers could be retained when the calculator was turned off).
Description
This programmable scientific calculator, introduced in 1979, is a successor to the TI Programmable 58. Unlike its predecessor, it boasts constant memory (that is to say, programs and numbers could be retained when the calculator was turned off). It has a black plastic case and an array of forty-five rectangular plastic keys, most of which can assume a dual function. The calculator could be operated manually by pressing keys. It could run a variety of preprogrammed routines from a module inserted in a compartment in the back of the case. Programs could also be entered using a set of keys and stored in one of ten locations (denoted by the letters A through E and A’ through E’).
A mark below the keyboard reads: TI Programmable 58C (/) Solid State Software (/) Constant Memory. Behind the keyboard is a space that would hold a paper label describing a program on a module (the module itself is stored in the back of the calculator). Behind this is a ten-digit display that may also show eight digits and a two-digit positive or negative exponent. An on/off key is at the back and a jack for a power supply on the right side.
A mark on the back of the calculator reads: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS (/) electronic calculator (/) SERIAL NO. (/) 2479837 1181 ACH (/) ASSEMBLED IN HOLLAND. Below this is a compartment for a battery pack. The lid is labeled: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS (/) BATTERY PACK BP-1A. Below this is a compartment for a program module. The module inside is labeled: MASTER (/) LIBRARY (/) MODULE (/) -1-.
The calculator comes in a cardboard box. Also in the box are a black plastic carrying case that holds the calculator, an AC adapter with prongs for a British outlet, and a plug for converting from a British to an American socket. Also there is a wallet-sized plastic folder containing a set of twenty-five black and gold labels that describe “master library” programs, as well as several blank labels. The wallet includes a “key code overlay” that fits over the keyboard of the calculator and directs a user to specific programs.
Documentation in the box includes a softcover book with title TI Programmable 58/58C/59 Personal Programming (1979). An owner’s mark on the front of the book reads: WEIR. Text on the inside of the front cover indicates that the calculator was acquired December 25,1981. Also included is a pamphlet entitled TI Programmable 58/58C/59 Master Library (1979) describing the twenty-five programs on the master library module. Further documentation is a sheet describing the PC-100C print/security cradle, a pink leaflet on the TI-58C, a folded sheet on TI-58/58C/59 solid state software libraries, and several blank TI Programmable Program Record sheets.
Compare 1987.0435.03 (TI Programmable 58) and 1987.0435.04. (TI Programmable 58C)
References:
[Advertisement], Los Angeles Times, May 26, 1979, p. D7. Advertises new TI Programmable 58C as “retaining data or program information even when the calculator is turned off.” Taking orders for calculator at a price of $109.95.
[Advertisement], Los Angeles Times, July 7, 1979, p. C7. TI 58C now in stock, price $109.95.
[Advertisement], Washington Post, November 9, 1979, p. E8. TI 58C now on sale for $94.95. Programming libraries, regularly $30 each, $25 each if purchased in pairs.
[Advertisement], Los Angeles Times, September 27, 1980, p. OC_C14. TI Programmable 58C on sale for $112.95.
[Advertisement], New York Times, January 8, 1984, p. 43. TI 58C on sale for $149.95 – includes printer.
Texas Instruments, TI Programmable 58/59 Master Library (1977). A copy of this is 1990.3166.02.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1981
maker
Texas Instruments
ID Number
2007.0179.01
accession number
2007.0179
catalog number
2007.0179.01

Texas Instruments TI-30 Handheld Electronic Calculator

This scientific handheld electronic calculator is has a black plastic case with an array of forty small rectangular brown plastic keys. These include ten digit keys, a decimal point key, a change sign key, a total key, and four arithmetic function keys.
Description
This scientific handheld electronic calculator is has a black plastic case with an array of forty small rectangular brown plastic keys. These include ten digit keys, a decimal point key, a change sign key, a total key, and four arithmetic function keys. Further keys are for reciprocals, squares, square roots, off, on/clear, inverse functions, sines, cosines, tangents, degrees, a constant, enter exponent, common logarithms, natural logarithms, powers, pi, percentage, left parenthesis, and right parenthesis. The remaining brown keys are storage, recall, summation, and exchange. The marks indicating the function of keys are on the keyboard above the keys themselves.
Text above the keys reads: TI-30. Text behind this reads: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS. Behind the keyboard is an LED display that shows eight-digit positive and negative numbers.
The calculator has a jack for a recharger/adapter along the right edge. Text on the back reads in part: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS (/) electronic calculator. It also gives the serial number 2143553 and a date mark ATA2579. It also reads: ASSEMBLED IN USA. Below these marks is a compartment for a battery pack. There are no screws for disassembling the calculator.
The calculator comes in a tan suede carrying case with a belt loop. Also in the case is a manual with the title Texas Instruments electronic slide-rule calculator TI-30 Owner’s Manual.
Compare 2007.0988.0348. Also compare the Texas Instruments SR-40, 1986.0988.049.
According to Ball and Flamm, writing in 1997, the TI-30 was “probably the largest selling calculator of all time.”
Reference:
Guy Ball and Bruce Flamm, The Complete Collector’s Guide to Pocket Calculators, Tustin, CA: Wilson/Barnett, 1997, p. 154. They give a 1976 price of $24.95
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1979
maker
Texas Instruments
ID Number
2007.0179.03
accession number
2007.0179
catalog number
2007.0179.03

Texas Instruments 9132 Power Adapter

This black plastic power adapter has metal prongs to fit into a wall socket and a plastic-covered plug to fit into a calculator. A mark on the object reads in part: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS (/) POWER (/) SUPPLY (/) ASSY IN U.S.A.
Description
This black plastic power adapter has metal prongs to fit into a wall socket and a plastic-covered plug to fit into a calculator. A mark on the object reads in part: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS (/) POWER (/) SUPPLY (/) ASSY IN U.S.A. (/) ADAPTER (/) MODEL AC 9132 (/) 7801.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1978
maker
Texas Instruments
ID Number
1986.0988.375
catalog number
1986.0988.375
accession number
1986.0988

TI-5050M Desktop Electronic Calculator

This compact, light desktop printing electronic calculator has an array of nine light gray digit keys at the center, with a zero bar and decimal point key below this. On the left are clear, percentage, division, multiplication, and equals keys.
Description
This compact, light desktop printing electronic calculator has an array of nine light gray digit keys at the center, with a zero bar and decimal point key below this. On the left are clear, percentage, division, multiplication, and equals keys. On the right are total, #/S, subtraction, and addition keys. Above the digit keys are memory, F/A, and arrow keys. Behind the keys is a paper tape to print entries and results on special thermosensitive paper. This is the only display of entries and results.
A mark behind the printer reads: TI-5050M. A mark at the front reads: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS. A mark on the bottom reads: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS (/) electronic calculator (/) MODEL TI-5050M (/) SERIAL NO. (/) 9418428 MTA5078 (/) ASSEMBLED IN USA. Below this is a list of patent numbers that range from 3,819,921 to 4,014,013. The dates of these patents range from 1974 to 1977.
Ball and Flamm indicate that the TI-5050M was available in 1976. In 1977 the calculator reportedly sold for $149.95. In 1980, it was advertised as costing $79.95. The second part of the serial number suggests a 1978 date.
Compare 1987.0487.026.
References:
Guy Ball and Bruce Flamm, The Complete Collector’s Guide to Pocket Calculators, Tustin, Calif.: Wilson/Barnett Publishing, 1997, p. 158.
Hyla Clark and Larry Barandes, “Desktop Calculators That Print Their Results,” Popular Mechanics, vol. 147 #4, April, 1977, pp. 187–189.
[Advertisement], Los Angeles Times, January 12, 1980, p. D4.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1978
maker
Texas Instruments
ID Number
1986.0988.075
catalog number
1986.0988.075
accession number
1986.0988

Texas Instruments TI-82 Handheld Electronic Calculator

This is an example of an early graphing calculator sold by Texas Instruments. The TI-82 was introduced in 1993, as an improvement on the TI-81. The handheld electronic calculator has a gray plastic case with a sliding cover that can also serve as a stand.
Description
This is an example of an early graphing calculator sold by Texas Instruments. The TI-82 was introduced in 1993, as an improvement on the TI-81. The handheld electronic calculator has a gray plastic case with a sliding cover that can also serve as a stand. It has an array of forty-one rectangular plastic keys, many of which can take on three meanings. These include a wide number of arithmetic, trigonometric, statistical, algebraic, and analytic functions. Letters of the alphabet also can be represented. The calculator also has four arrow keys, plus a row of five keys immediately under the display that relate to graphing. Four of these also can take on two meanings. In addition to performing a wide range of calculations, the calculator could display eight lines of text sixteen characters long or graph ten rectangular or six parametric or polar functions simultaneously. It also could list tables and calculate derivatives and integrals of functions.
A mark above the display reads: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS TI-82. A cable (not present in this example) allowed sharing data with another TI-82.
The back of the calculator has a compartment at the bottom that holds four AAA batteries as well as a small CR1616 or CR1620 battery (the compartment cover is missing on this example). A mark above the battery compartment reads in part: TEXAS (/) INSTRUMENTS (/) 30009182 I-0495Q (/) MADE IN TAIWAN R.O.C. Further text on the back of the calculator indicates that the design was copyrighted in 1991.
This TI-82 was used by mathematician Florence Fasanelli in workshops for teachers and in classes.
References:
Accession file.
[Advertisement]. Washington Post, August 7, 1994, p. AE19. TI-82 calculator, list price of $125.00, on sale for $99.99.
[Advertisement]. Washington Post, September 6, 1995, p. A26. TI-82 calculator, list price of $125.00, on sale for $79.99.
[Advertisement]. Washington Post, August 17, 1997, p. N6. TI-82 calculator, list price of $125.00, on sale for $79.99.
[Advertisement]. Washington Post, August 23, 1998, p. AE11. TI-82 calculator $79.99 after $10 price break.
Online Datamath Museum, accessed June 15, 2015.
Texas Instruments, TI-82 Graphing Calculator Guidebook, 1993, 2000, 2001. Accessed online June 15, 2015.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1995
maker
Texas Instruments
ID Number
2014.0101.01
accession number
2014.0101
catalog number
2014.0101.01

Texas Instruments One-Chip Calculator (Microprocessor)

The “calculator-on-a-chip” is a metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) integrated circuit announced by Texas Instruments in September of 1971.
Description
The “calculator-on-a-chip” is a metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) integrated circuit announced by Texas Instruments in September of 1971. A variation was sold in the early handheld electronic calculators of companies like Bowmar, as well as in TI's first portable calculator, the Datamath, introduced in September, 1972.
According to a press release issued at the time of the donation in 1975, the device provided the equivalent of some six thousand transistors.
Compare 1987.0487.233.
References:
Accession file 319050.
Online Datamath Museum, accessed June 19, 2015
Online NMAH Chip site, accessed June 19, 2015.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1971
maker
Texas Instruments
ID Number
CI.336019
accession number
319050
catalog number
336019

Texas Instruments TI-81 Handheld Electronic Calculator

This is an example of the first graphing calculator sold by Texas Instruments. The TI-81 was introduced in 1990. The handheld electronic calculator has a blue plastic case with a sliding cover that can also serve as a stand.
Description
This is an example of the first graphing calculator sold by Texas Instruments. The TI-81 was introduced in 1990. The handheld electronic calculator has a blue plastic case with a sliding cover that can also serve as a stand. It has an array of forty-one rectangular plastic keys, many of which can take on three meanings. These include a wide number of arithmetic, trigonometric, statistical, and algebraic functions. Letters of the alphabet also can be represented. The calculator also has four arrow keys, plus a row of five keys immediately under the display that relate to graphing. In addition to performing a wide range of calculations, the calculator could display eight lines of text sixteen characters long or graph up to four functions simultaneously. A mark above the display reads: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS TI-81.
The back of the calculator has a compartment at the bottom that holds four AAA batteries as well as a small CR1616 or CR1620 battery. A mark scratched next to the battery compartment reads: R. The device has no serial number, but has a sticker at the top of the back that reads: Reconditioned. A sticker on the battery compartment cover reads: #30. Text on the back of the calculator indicates that the design was copyrighted in 1991. Text below this reads: MADE IN TAIWAN R.O.C.
According to the online Datamath Museum, the first examples of the TI-81 did not include the small battery.
This TI-81 was used in teaching mathematics at Amherst College in Amherst, Massachusetts. For software received as part of the same transaction, see 1999.3054.
References:
[Advertisement], Los Angeles Times, October 15, 1990, p. C16. New TI-81 calculator selling for $99.99. List price $129.95.
[Advertisement]. Washington Post, August 24, 1993, p. C10. TI-81 calculator, regularly $110.00, on sale for $69.99.
[Advertisement]. Washington Post, August 7, 1994, p. AE19. TI-81 calculator, list price of $115.00, on sale for $69.99.
[Advertisement]. Washington Post, September 4, 1994, p. F8. TI-81 calculator, regularly $115.00, on sale for $69.98.
Kidwell, P.A., A. Ackerberg-Hastings, and D. L. Roberts, Tools of American Mathematics Teaching, Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008, p. 309.
Online Datamath Museum, accessed June 12, 2015.
Texas Instruments, TI-81 Guidebook. A 1992 edition is online. Accessed June 12, 2015.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1991
maker
Texas Instruments
ID Number
1999.0285.01
accession number
1999.0285
catalog number
1999.0285.01

Texas Instruments Programmable 59 Handheld Electronic Calculator, Case

This is the case for a Texas Instruments programmable handheld electronic calculator. For the calculator, see 1990.0609.01.Currently not on view
Description
This is the case for a Texas Instruments programmable handheld electronic calculator. For the calculator, see 1990.0609.01.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1977
maker
Texas Instruments
ID Number
1990.0609.01.1
catalog number
1990.0609.01.1
accession number
1990.0609

Texas Instruments Ac9131 Adapter

This is the power adapter received with a Texas Instruments programmable handheld electronic calculator. For the calculator, see 1990.0609.01.Currently not on view
Description
This is the power adapter received with a Texas Instruments programmable handheld electronic calculator. For the calculator, see 1990.0609.01.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1977
maker
Texas Instruments
ID Number
1990.0609.01.2
catalog number
1990.0609.01.2
accession number
1990.0609

Texas Instruments Little Professor Teaching Calculator

Introduced in mid-1976, the Little Professor is a non-printing electronic calculator modified to present simple arithmetic problems. A correct answer prompts another problem on the eight-digit display.
Description
Introduced in mid-1976, the Little Professor is a non-printing electronic calculator modified to present simple arithmetic problems. A correct answer prompts another problem on the eight-digit display. An error delivers the message, "EEE." The colorful keyboard shows a professor with whiskers and glasses. The red light-emitting diode screen, in combination with the top of the instrument, looks like a mortar board.
This example has buttons that allow one to set the level of problems, as well as an on/off button on the front rather than the side of the machine. These features were introduced in a version of the machine made from 1978 onward.
Reference:
P. A. Kidwell, A. Ackerberg-Hastings, and D. L. Roberts, Tools of American Mathematics Teaching, Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008, pp. 261–262.
date made
ca 1978
maker
Texas Instruments
ID Number
1986.0988.197
accession number
1986.0988
catalog number
1986.0988.197

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