Prime is a good choice for engineers?

[Jan_D]

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@Bezerra1 wrote:

........I would still buy it if it had full RPN integration,  the ability to solve non-linear systems of equations and perform parameter estimation, which are the most common things I do with my 50g......

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As far as I know the Prime is better in solving non - linear systems of equations than the 50G.

It has a strong command to do this: fsolve.

Try, for example, to solve x^2=2^x.

Fsolve immediately gives the 3 solutions, whereas the 50G gives only 1 solution in its numerical solver app.

Fsolve can also solve systems of equations.

The Prime’s Solve app is better than the 50G’s Numerical solver app because it can solve systems of equations.

The 50G’s MSLV command can do this in a similar way, but the Prime’s app is more userfriendly than this 50G’s command.

Moreover the Prime has a powerful graphing app: Advanced Graphing.

It can graphically show arbitrary relations between x and y, and thus graphically show the solution of 2 arbitrary equations containing x and y.

It can zoom in very quickly and thus show the solution in high precision.

In its Numerical view it can also directly give the intersections, but I have not tested if this works correctly in difficult cases.

It is already enough that I can get them graphically.

[richard1941]

In some things, 50g is better!   For example, factoring 1+10^100  (that's a googol plus one).   The 50g grinds on it for a few seconds, then gives the answer.   Prime cannot do the problem.  

However, Prime's "next prime" command quickly knocks out the first prime after 10^1000.   (Not enough space here to give it.)

[richard1941]

I think we need to remember why we used RPN back in the day.   Memory was scarce, and HP had the ability to create custom IC's that implemented the stack in hardware.   That is no longer the case.   To to RPN on the Prime or the WP-34s involves a lot of EXTRA WORK for the central processor.   If we want efficient code, we best go with the flow.

As far as computer langages go,  many have come and gone.   Pascal.   Forth (my favorite).  Jovial.  ADA.   There is nothing sacred about RPL; it might be a barrier to entry for the timid, as it has tick and evaluate just like lisp.   Generally, what you can do in one language you can do in another.   Except for APL, where every conceivable program can be written as a one-liner.

Likewise, programming disciplines come and go.   Remember top down structured programming that was supposed to allow writing a program with no bugs?   And now, object oriented programming.   Who knows, the next paradigm might involve tantric yogurt...

. . . Richard

[Jan_D]

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@richard1941 wrote:

In some things, 50g is better!   For example, factoring 1+10^100  (that's a googol plus one).   The 50g grinds on it for a few seconds, then gives the answer.   Prime cannot do the problem.......

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I do not think that the factorisation the 50G gives is a full factorisation.

I like it that it at least gives some dividers, but one of them is a very long number.

I think that it just stopped when after a long time it could not find any more.

I wanted to check it.

I knew that 7563374525293 is a prime number.

I took its square and asked the Prime to factor it. In a fraction of a second it factored it as the square of the original prime number.

Then I let the 50G do it.

After about 100 seconds it came with a result, but the result was the same as the input, so it did nothing!

I did the calculations with the Android apps on my tablet, which is pretty fast.

[richard1941]

While we are at it, something like FEMAP finite element modeling or a crude multiphysics package for studying thermal stress in telescope mirrors would be nice.  It does not matter if it is slow.   Failing that, a library with all of the Roark's formulas would be useful.    (You would never guess that I am an ELECTRICAL engineer, from this wish list!)

One thing for sure:  in ten years, the Prime will be obsolete or possibly banned as a terrorist weapon.   Maybe we will have brain implants by then.  Brains have big memory; I think mine is as much as 5 picobits.