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Calculator Spelling





DESCRIPTION

An accidental characteristic of the Seven-segment Display is that many numbers, when read upside-down, appear as letters in the Latin Alphabet . Each digit can be mapped to a unique letter, creating a limited but functional Subset of the alphabet, sometimes called the beghilos alphabet:

On a calculator, this appears as:

Certain calculators omit the topmost stem on the digit ''6'' and the bottommost stem on ''9''. In such cases, ''6'' renders a Lowercase ''q'' when turned upside-down, and ''9'' appears as a lowercase ''b''.

Only certain calculators are capable of this . LCD , VFD , LED , and Panaplex displays are best for spelling words. Spelling with Nixie Tube s is less effective because the display is not as readable when upside-down. Furthermore, with Dot-matrix Display s, Fourteen-segment and Sixteen-segment Display s, the ability to render most characters defeats the purpose of spelling with a limited alphabet.

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APPLICATIONS

Aside from novelty and amusement, calculator spelling has limited practicality. Schoolchildren in particular experiment with calculators to find what words are possible.

Calculator spelling can be used in Programming as a form of textual feedback on devices with limited output ability. The programmer is given a wider set of letters to use and does not require the reader to turn the device upside-down. This is particularly useful in Scientific Calculator s that feature Hexadecimal readout using the letters ''A'' through ''F''.


SEE ALSO



REFERENCE

  • ''Rechnerspielereien'', 1973. No ISBN, author, or publisher.



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