A calculation is a deliberate
mathematical process that transforms one or more inputs into one or more outputs or ''results''. The term is used in a variety of senses, from the very definite
arithmetic
Arithmetic () is an elementary part of mathematics that consists of the study of the properties of the traditional operations on numbers— addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, exponentiation, and extraction of roots. In the 19th ...
al calculation of using an
algorithm, to the vague
heuristics of calculating a strategy in a competition, or calculating the chance of a successful relationship between two people.
For example,
multiplying
Multiplication (often denoted by the cross symbol , by the mid-line dot operator , by juxtaposition, or, on computers, by an asterisk ) is one of the four elementary mathematical operations of arithmetic, with the other ones being addition ...
7 by 6 is a simple algorithmic calculation. Extracting the
square root or the
cube root
In mathematics, a cube root of a number is a number such that . All nonzero real numbers, have exactly one real cube root and a pair of complex conjugate cube roots, and all nonzero complex numbers have three distinct complex cube roots. Fo ...
of a number using mathematical models is a more complex algorithmic calculation.
Statistical estimations of the likely election results from opinion polls also involve algorithmic calculations, but produces ranges of possibilities rather than exact answers.
To ''calculate'' means to determine mathematically in the case of a number or amount, or in the case of an abstract problem to deduce the answer using
logic,
reason or
common sense.
The English word derives from the
Latin ''calculus'', which originally meant a small stone in the gall-bladder (from Latin ''calx''). It also meant a pebble used for calculating, or a small stone used as a counter in an
abacus (Latin ''abacus'',
Greek ''abax''). The abacus was an instrument used by Greeks and Romans for arithmetic calculations, preceding the
slide-rule and the
electronic calculator, and consisted of perforated pebbles sliding on iron bars.
Calculation is a prerequisite for
computation
Computation is any type of arithmetic or non-arithmetic calculation that follows a well-defined model (e.g., an algorithm).
Mechanical or electronic devices (or, historically, people) that perform computations are known as ''computers''. An es ...
.
See also
*
Calculus (disambiguation) — list of general methods of calculation by application area
*
Complexity class — theoretical notion to categorize calculability
*
Cost accounting — business application of calculation
*
List of algorithms — fully formalized, computer-executable methods of calculation
*
Mental calculation — performing arithmetics using one's brain only
References
External links
"The Lifting of the Veil in the Operations of Calculation"is a manuscript, from the 18th-century, in Arabic, by
Ibn al-Banna' al-Marrakushi, about calculation processes
{{Authority control
Elementary arithmetic
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