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Mechanical calculator

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An antique brass mechanical calculator invented by Anton Braun in 1727, on display at a museum.

Mechanical Calculators

Mechanical calculators were special machines used for doing math before computers existed. They worked by moving parts inside, like gears and levers, to add, subtract, multiply, and divide numbers.

In 1642, Blaise Pascal made the first mechanical calculator. He made it to help his father, who was a tax collector. This machine could add and subtract numbers by turning a handle.

In the 1800s, more people made these machines. Thomas' arithmometer was the first one people could buy in 1851. It was strong and could be used every day in an office. Later, new machines like the Odhner Arithmometer and the comptometer were made to be even better.

By the early 1900s, these calculators became very popular. Some were operated by turning a crank, while others used electric motors. Small handheld calculators like the Curta were invented in the 1940s and fit in one hand.

Mechanical calculators were widely used until electronic calculators came along in the 1970s. These old machines helped people do math faster and easier, changing the way offices worked.

Various desktop mechanical calculators were used in offices from 1851 onwards. Each one had a different way of working. This picture shows several types, including an Arithmometer, a Comptometer, a Dalton adding machine, a Sundstrand, and an Odhner Arithmometer.

Images

An old mechanical calculator from the 1600s, showing early technology used for math.
A replica of Wilhelm Schickard's historic calculating machine displayed in a museum.
A close-up of a historical calculating machine invented by Johann Helfrich MĂĽller.
An early mechanical comptometer machine, showing how people calculated numbers before modern computers.
Historical calculating machines from the 19th and early 20th centuries, displayed in the Musée des Arts et Métiers in Paris.
An old mechanical calculator invented before 1900 in Saint-PĂ©tersbourg.
An old mechanical calculator called a Difference Engine, displayed at the Science Museum in London.
A model of Charles Babbage's Analytical Engine, an early mechanical computer, on display at the Science Museum in London.
An old mechanical calculator from the 1800s showing part of its multiplier feature.
An old mechanical calculating machine from the 1840s, showing how people did math before computers!
An abacus, an ancient tool used for calculations.

Related articles

Comptometer
Blaise Pascal
Tax collector
Arithmometer
Odhner Arithmometer
Curta

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Mechanical calculator, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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