Time for colour: Sharp’s school pocket calculator is on its way to becoming a must-have item in great demand

Mathematics may become a favourite subject in 2011: ‘Sharp’s new school calculators in trendy colours like violet, pink, orange and green are precisely geared to match students’ tastes and definitely have the potential to be a lifestyle item’, says Saskia von Boxberg, calculator and electronic dictionary product manager at Sharp Electronics Germany/Austria.

But good looks aren’t everything, of course: The new calculators effectively aid pupils in understanding their tasks and approaches towards solutions – from primary school to secondary school to university. At the same time, teachers can keep using their lesson materials without problems, since time tested features such as direct algebraic logic (DAL) and the WriteView™ function mean that the new devices are ideally suited to the requirements of mathematics lessons and promote learning.

All of Sharp’s school calculators use DAL entry logic, which Sharp was the first manufacturer in the world to introduce way back in 1992.  This ensures that fractions, roots and formulas are entered in the correct sequence which the students also write in their exercise books. This allows students to put more concentration into finding the solution to their tasks, since operating the calculator fades into the background.

Thanks to WriteView™ presentation, the EL-W506X, EL-W531XG and EL-W531XH models display roots or fractions as precisely as they are shown in the textbooks and on the blackboard. This prevents entry errors and increases the exercise and learning effect for writing (Write) as well as displays (View).

An additional highlight are the so-called shortcut keys with the WriteView™ models, which students can use to save frequently used functions of the second or third allocation level for direct access. Free simulation software for demonstrating the school calculator’s functions live in the classroom with a PC and projector is available online.

Sharp’s graphic calculator with new features

Sharp’s EL-9900G SII graphing calculator has been expanded by the addition of major functions. The reversible keyboard now has a harder pressure point:  The green keyboard is ideally suited to introductory lessons on the intermediate level. For instance, it makes it possible to reshape and shorten fractions and calculate simple functions for statistics and probability with graphic depiction. The blue keyboard now has programs which can be used to calculate the new, heightened requirements for   university-entrance exams of several German federal states, such as those in  stochastics.