Introduction to Casio Calculators
In today’s world of tablets, smartphones, and portable laptops, one would expect calculators would have long become obsolete. A simple app that comes preinstalled with every device is a good replacement, right?
Well, it turns out it’s not. Calculators are still popular – and necessary – devices, especially in the business world. One company that’s become virtually synonymous with these devices is Casio, the world-famous manufacturer from Japan.
In this article, we’ll review Casio calculators’ features and benefits and explain how to use them to help with your business computations.
Brief History of Casio Calculators
In April 1946, a factory worker Tadao Kashio from Tokyo, Japan, founded a company under the name Kashio Seisakujo. Eleven years later, they came out with the world’s first compact all-electric calculator, and that same year, the company changed its name to Casio Computer. It’s worth noting that the device itself was an entire desk and not compact compared to today’s standards.
Casio’s popularity quickly took off. By 1969, their global calculator sales reached 100,000. One of the reasons Casio was so successful is its innovation. While the first iterations of calculators could only handle basic operations, Casio was the one to introduce more complex features.
The company was among the first to use microprocessors, and it started making portable devices, such as Casio Mini, the first-ever personal calculator. They started producing scientific calculators in the 70s and were the first to create a graphing calculator – fx-7000G, in 1958.
By 2006, Casio sold over 1 billion calculators.
How to Use a Casio Calculator
One of the main reasons behind the popularity of Casio’s devices (aside from their designs) is that you can complete basic and more complex calculations easily and without any foreknowledge.
More advanced calculators (such as scientific ones) have various buttons and features that go beyond addition and subtraction. For example, you can calculate square roots, exponential values, sine and cosine functions, logarithms, etc.
Most functions have a button assigned to them, but some come with a shift key that allows buttons to have two functionalities simultaneously. You can also edit the settings, switch between radians and degrees, decide what number to store in memory, and solve complex equations with a few button clicks.
MORE: TI-84 Calculator Online.
Importance and Benefits of Using Calculators
Many of us hated doing calculus back in school, knowing we had a calculator outside the classroom to do the legwork.
School days are long gone, and as business people, we can now benefit from using the calculator without anyone frowning upon us.
Calculators are an essential tool for business owners as they provide accurate results without second guessing the process and going over it again just to be sure. You can save time by solving complicated equations and functions in a few clicks.
While there are numerous calculator apps out there, they usually lack the depth and complexity of features physical calculators such as Casio’s have. You can use Casio to map out graphs, create stat charts, calculate advanced business formulas, and handle your accounting.
Types of Casio Calculators
There are three most common types of Casio calculators:
- Basic,
- Scientific,
- Graphing.
Basic Calculators
They are simple handheld devices (or apps) that perform basic operations. They can display operation characters and numbers, but you can’t get them to create anything more advanced. Apart from arithmetic operations, you can use basic calculators for calculating percentages, storing values in memory, and square roots.
Basic calculators are more affordable than the other two types, and many consider them more user-friendly as they don’t have too many buttons that can confuse you. They are mostly aimed at students and everyday users who need a bit of help. Financial experts and professional users will likely find basic calculators lacking.
Scientific Calculators
Scientific calculators are for more advanced users and are often used in engineering, finance, and other business environments. They come with a variety of functions and computing capabilities, as well as a more complex display that can represent expressions and symbols beyond the capabilities of a basic calculator.
A great thing about Casio’s scientific calculators is that they come with a memory capacity that allows you to store values and create custom functions and algorithms.
Aside from being able to personalize your calculator, you can also use the following functions:
- Trigonometric (calculating sine, cosine, tangent, and inverts),
- Exponential,
- Logarithmic,
- Statistical analysis,
- Complex operations (conversions between forms, differentiation, integration, and others).
Casio scientific calculators are perfect for engineers, scientists, researchers, and other professionals who use advanced calculations daily..
MORE: Use our online scientific calculator for free.
Graphing Calculators
Casio was the first manufacturer to develop a graphing calculator. It’s essentially a type of scientific calculator with one important difference. Its display is bigger and capable of plotting graphs and showing multiple equations at once.
You can use it to solve simultaneous equations, use multiple variables, and analyze and visualize data. Most graphing calculators can display various types of graphs, such as parametric, 3D, polar, and Cartesian graphs.
It comes with a bigger storage to store values, variables, matrices, and data sets.
Aside from graphing functions, these calculators are perfect for vector and matrix operations, solving complex equations, such as differential and polynomial ones.
Graphing calculators are widely used in STEM fields, during standardized tests, and for completing various data analysis tasks.
Key Features of Casio Calculators
Display and User Interface
Casio’s devices are renowned for their ease of use. They use simple syntax and unabbreviated messages so that even new users can use it without any training. More recent models can generate QR codes that allow you to display advanced graphics on a separate device.
Depending on the model, Casio uses different displays, such as:
- Single-line: Made for basic calculators that only feature a single line, showing results of simple operations.
- Multi-line: Graphing and scientific calculators can use multiple equations at once (or draw graphs), which requires more space on the display.
- Dot matrix: Higher-end models use dot matrix displays that operate using individual pixels (or dots), which allows you to create a detailed representation of graphs, symbols, and equations. They come with a heftier price but are amazing if you require the display to be clear and precise.
- Natural textbook: Made to display equations and formulas in a standardized format that follows the guidelines of textbooks.
Most Casios have a black-and-white display, but you can also find color displays, especially among graphing calculators. The company primarily uses LCD technology.
Mathematical Functions and Operations
Casios cover a wide range of mathematical operations. Only some models are capable of completing every operation. It all depends on what type of model you have. Still, you can use them for both basic arithmetic and advanced mathematical functions and operations, such as:
- Addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division,
- Exponents and roots (square and higher),
- Calculating logarithms and natural logarithms,
- Conversion between polar and rectangular forms,
- Mapping matrices and vectors,
- Eigenvalues and eigenvectors,
- Statistics (data manipulation and analysis),
- Systems of equations,
- Unit conversions.
Memory and Storage
Casio calculators come with about 1.5 MB of storage space (depending on the model). While this doesn’t sound like much in today’s world, 1.5 MB in a calculator allows you to download software updates (on high-end models) and store values and formulas to recall them and reuse them for new calculations.
Popular Casio Calculator Models
Check out the table below to learn more about the most popular Casio calculators:
Casio Model | Features | Common Uses |
fx-82MS | Two-line display, scientific notation, statistical trigonometric functions. | Education, business, finance, engineering, data analysis. |
fx-115ES Plus | Two-line natural textbook display, scientific functions, table generation, base-N calculations. | Financial calculations, statistics, data analysis, physics, engineering. |
fx-991EX | Hi-res LCD display, spreadsheet functionality, graphing and geometry, high-speed CPU, matrix calculations. | Science, physics, finance, research, computer science. |
fx-9750GII | Hi-res LCD display, graphing capabilities, custom programming, financial functions, preloaded applications. | Graphing and visual representation, research, data manipulation, programming, engineering. |
fx-85EX | Natural textbook display, dual-powered, scientific calculations, random integer generator, prime factorization, multi-replay functions. | Business, finance, engineering, statistics, standardized tests. |
Summary of Features
- Basic arithmetic calculations
- Trigonometric functions
- Logarithmic and exponential functions
- Complex number calculations
- Matrix and vector calculations
- Unit conversion
- Fractions
- Solving system of equations
- Hyperbolic functions
- Prime factorization
- Random integer generator
- Plotting graphs
- Memorizing answers and values
- Creating custom algorithms
- Natural textbook display
- One- and two-line displays
Who Are Casio Calculators’ Target Audience?
Casio achieved huge success thanks to their calculators being among the most user-friendly ones out there. They have different types of calculators and models to cater to various buyer profiles, which allowed them to sell over 1 billion devices.
Aside from students, Casio calculators are regularly used by professionals as well. Depending on the model (i.e., features it comes with), a Casio calculator’s target audience can be:
- Financial experts,
- Business analysts,
- Educators,
- Engineers,
- Scientists,
- Researchers,
- Architects,
- Designers,
- Developers.
Conclusion
Ever since their invention in the 1950s, Casio calculators have had the reputation of being well-built, easy-to-use, and precise devices that can help students and professionals alike. They have hundreds of models that come with a variety of features. Depending on your needs, you can buy a calculator that will fulfill your needs.
Even if you can’t find the perfect model with all the functions you need, most Casio models are programmable. This means you can create custom functions, thus making a personalized calculator to optimize your daily life. A Casio calculator will be your loyal friend if you’re a professional who deals with numbers extensively.
If you need a scientific calculator, you can use our calculator above today. For more business calculators to help your business growth, take a look at our business calculator tools.