Is there an App for Apple that will let me program and store equations and solve? 5

[lastone]

My old TI-86 programmable calculator from college (mid-90's) has finally bit the dust. I had written several simple programs in the calculator that let me solve an equation by inputting values for variables. They were simple programs that did things like ask me for a temperature, pressure, and molecular weight of a gas, and would then return the density. Or I could enter in a pipe size in inches and flow rate in barrels per hour, then it would return the fluid velocity in feet per second. My question is if there is an app out there now that will allow me to do this on my iPhone? I searched the app store and looked on the web, and I was amazed at all the things available now, but I didn't see anything that advertised it could do what I'm looking for. Could anyone out there please recommend something to help me?

 

[JohnRBaker]

Are we talking about something for an iPhone?

I just did a Google search using the criteria "programmable calculator for iPhone" and got a lot of hits, including a few that were free.

I might start here:

https://www.iphoneness.com/iphone-apps/calculator-application-for-iphone/

John R. Baker, P.E. (ret)
EX-Product 'Evangelist'
Irvine, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

The secret of life is not finding someone to live with
It's finding someone you can't live without

 

[IDS]

Excel will run on a phone, and I presume the Apple equivalent will do the same, so that would seem the simplest solution.

Doug Jenkins
Interactive Design Services

http://newtonexcelbach.wordpress.com/

 

[SkipVought]

I use a free version of Excel on my iPad and iPhone.

Skip,

_{Just traded in my OLD subtlety...
for a NUance!}

 

[GregLocock]

I think this may work on your phone

https://en.smath.com/view/SMathStudio/summary

Cheers

Greg Locock


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[lastone]

Thank you all for the responses. I should have already thought about using excel, I have it on my phone. I will also look into the Smath app. It looks like a good program. Thank you again.

 

[IFRs]

I use a beautiful HP-42S emulator that makes my phone look exactly like the calculator (which I have also) and is almost the same size. It is programmable so it does everything my "real" calculator does. If you really liked your TI-86 look for an app that mimic one?

 

[electricpete]

+1 for calculator emulator.

My emulated calculator of choice - HP48GX, which is emulated by the free Android app Droid48 and I believe the iPhone app m48.

It does exactly what the op asks. It allows you to enter / store an equation and store values for all the variables. You can adjust any of the variable values and solve for any variable Units are included. They have libraries of built in equations, but you'll probably want to build your own. And it allows a nested directory structure into which you can put your named equations, varaibles, constants etc. You can make your equations vector equations in case you want to solve a vector machine balance problem.

There is a little bit of a learning curve, but well worth it imo. Because there's a LOT more it can do. I gushed about the things I like about Droid48 starting at the 2nd post here thread724-313111 Perhaps I was influenced by the fact that I had spent a lot of time programming a similar HP earlier in my career. While initially I viewed it as a little clunky / non-intuitive, that evolved to viewing it as elegant. It has all the features of pc programming languages to program whatever you want (subroutines, named variables, flow control, etc). And a lot of supporting math toolds built in (matrix algebra, complex numbers, statistics etc etc).

=====================================
(2B)+(2B)' ?

 

[Impluvium]

I also just use Excel, it is quite convenient.

..

 

[phamENG]

I've used Excel, but I'd recommend setting everything up on your computer and saving the files to the cloud - trying to write formulas can be a bit of a pain.

SMath also has an app, as GregLocock pointed out. I use it some for desktop and have downloaded it to my phone, but haven't had a real need to use it yet.

The best thing about both of these is that they can give you access to the tools you use on your computer anywhere (so long as they don't rely on VBA in Excel).

 

[IDS]

so long as they don't rely on VBA in Excel.

That's a bit like saying that living under water is a great idea, so long as you don't rely on breathing air.

Doug Jenkins
Interactive Design Services

http://newtonexcelbach.wordpress.com/

 

[phamENG]

Not necessarily. I wrote quite a few "quick calc" spreadsheets early on before I started learning VBA. They were quite useful for a lot of simple and repetitive tasks as long as you didn't try to work in too many options. I built a whole steel diaphragm design spreadsheet with exactly zero lines of code that could select the best deck type and thickness, suggest an optimal support spacing for diaphragm action, sidelap fasteners, check welds or screws to supports, and even look at stress concentrations around openings. It took a long time, and it has some dizzyingly long formulas, but it sure works.

 

[Michael L]

For use on a phone or iPad, I would recommend writing Python with a Jupyter Notebook app, such as Juno or Carnets.
The "cells" of Jupyter Notebooks mean you have opportunity to sample various outputs throughout the code. Simple text-based programming languages are better suited to small screen devices, where as Excel would require lots of sideways scrolling, as well as Smath I assume. If you're used to more command-line input output, than use an app like Pyto or Pythonista. Of course there's the Python learning curve, but its one of the most popular programming language in the world for a reason.
I briefly tried Ti-Nspire apps on the iPad, which is a great emulator of the calculator experience, with the benefit of "Notes" which is like an Smath/Mathcad document, but not as good.

 

[MintJulep]

Michael L's suggestion is brilliant!

If either of those apps support Jupyter widgets you would easily be able to design a notebook with places to enter values and a "solve" button.

Google Colab

https://colab.research.google.com/notebooks/intro.ipynb

would be a cloud alternative.

 

[IDS]

Not necessarily. I wrote quite a few "quick calc" spreadsheets early on before I started learning VBA...

Fair point, I should have added a "for me" on the front of my statement. Basically I agree with all you say, especially setting things up on a computer, and only using the phone where there is a need for it.

Michael L - I have done a lot of work with Python in recent years, but for me using it as the main user interface seems crazy, but these things really are personal taste.

Doug Jenkins
Interactive Design Services

http://newtonexcelbach.wordpress.com/

 

[IDS]

I have done a lot of work with Python in recent years, but for me using it as the main user interface seems crazy …

Of course, there are those who disagree:

https://towardsdatascience.com/jupyter-is-the-new-excel-a7a22f2fc13a

Jupyter is the new Excel

I'll read it later.

Doug Jenkins
Interactive Design Services

http://newtonexcelbach.wordpress.com/

 

[GregLocock]

I really do need to get into Jupyter. Matlab has a way of freely interspersing readable bits and functional bits in documents but I've never bothered.

Cheers

Greg Locock


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[klaus.]

You can use Smath..runs on Android not sure about the bitten Apple