The four-species machine is a Gattungsbezeichnung for mechanical calculating machines. Thereby it is essentially marked that the computation of mathematical tasks of all basic operations of arithmetic (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division) is simply possible.

Problem of the concept formation

The designation "four-species calculator" requires a closer explanation. Generally a four-species machine should be a calculating machine, on which one can count at least all four basic operations of arithmetic, what in addition, to some adding machine applies. In the technical literature is no sufficiently defining definition of the term four-species machine.

Definition

The designation four-species calculator is usually used for machines, with which algorithms for the four basic operations of arithmetic are historically proven, so that addition and subtraction on direct way are executable, and on those the multiplication and division, compared to the addition and subtraction, may not require fine-motor and only little cognitive additional expenditure.

With the fact direct way means that the operands not to be preprocessed not to have and the calculation is made exclusively in and with the calculating machine. Little cognitive additional expenditure is to exclude mental arithmetic and a taking in account and control activities, as to the bell signal to pay attention or it observes, whether the speedometer announcement goes into the negative range, nor includes.

A disadvantage of this definition is the fact that a calculating machine cannot be arranged if does not admit the calculation specifications for the machine is.

Alternative definitions

Other beginnings of a definition from four-species machines are:

• A four-species machine is a calculating machine, on which one can count theoretically all four basic operations of arithmetic. That would probably apply to all calculating machines, designed one only a suitable algorithm.

• A four-species machine is a calculating machine, which was actually used for all four basic operations of arithmetic. This beginning is problematic, with calculating machines, which were not built, whose circle of users one does not know or used with different user groups the machine for different purposes.

• One could replace the term four-species calculator by the designation multiplication machine. This is also little useful, since one can also multiply on adding machines and there are calculating machines, which are particularly appropriate for the multiplication.

Literature

• Ernst Martin: The calculating machine and its history of the development - calculating machines with automatic decimal transmission. 1. Volume, 1. Edition, 1925
• Hen man, A., [D. i. Adof Schranz]: The technical development of the calculating machine, Aachen: Peter Basten, 1952.
• Spring, K. [Karl]: The calculating machines and the machine counting, Leipzig and Berlin: B.G. Teubner, 1915

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