this post was submitted on 30 Dec 2025
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I used an HP RPM calculator through college. It could do cool stuff like graphing and solving equations. Very helpful for an engineering student, not so helpful later in life. I used that calculator until about a year ago when it died (got about 35 years from it). I didn’t use the super fancy stuff anymore, but for a scientific calculator it was pretty solid.
So when it broke, I had to find a replacement for a device that I’ve used for my entire life. Needless to say, I was kind of picky. I tried emulators, and newer TIs, and there’s a bunch of knockoff crap like the article points to. Only one made me happy. A silly little iOS app “PCalc” (it has an icon of “42”). It was like $5, runs on my phone, and honestly I probably should have switched decades ago.
I’m not associated with that app or the author or anything, just a recommendation for anyone old and stubborn like me - I know I’m not alone here with calculator attachment issues :)
The best part about using an RPN calculator (I also had an HP) was that if someone asked if they could borrow it, I could tell them that if they call do 1+1 and get 2 on it, they could use it. No one ever was successful.
RPN is great though, it's so fast if you could quickly organize the order of operations.
Edit: RPN, not RPM.
You mean RPN, right? Reverse Polish Notation.
Dear Lord I'm not the only one wondering what RPM stands for!!
Lol yes. I knew what OP meant and assumed they were right and went with it.
It's the little used Roman Polanski Math, you ignoramus.
I got used to RPN at University. Ever since, I literally struggle to do simple math with algebraic calculators, got an HP15X emulator in my phone, does all I need
There is Emu48, in Android at least.