A calculation is a deliberate
mathematical
Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...
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
arithmetical calculation of using an
algorithm
In mathematics and computer science, an algorithm () is a finite sequence of rigorous instructions, typically used to solve a class of specific problems or to perform a computation. Algorithms are used as specifications for performing ...
, to the vague
heuristic
A heuristic (; ), or heuristic technique, is any approach to problem solving or self-discovery that employs a practical method that is not guaranteed to be optimal, perfect, or rational, but is nevertheless sufficient for reaching an immediate ...
s of calculating a strategy in a competition, or calculating the chance of a successful relationship between two people.
For example,
multiplying 7 by 6 is a simple algorithmic calculation. Extracting the
square root
In mathematics, a square root of a number is a number such that ; in other words, a number whose ''square'' (the result of multiplying the number by itself, or ⋅ ) is . For example, 4 and −4 are square roots of 16, because .
...
or the
cube root of a number using mathematical models is a more complex algorithmic calculation.
Statistical estimation
Estimation theory is a branch of statistics that deals with estimating the values of parameters based on measured empirical data that has a random component. The parameters describe an underlying physical setting in such a way that their value ...
s 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
Logic is the study of correct reasoning. It includes both formal and informal logic. Formal logic is the science of deductively valid inferences or of logical truths. It is a formal science investigating how conclusions follow from premise ...
,
reason
Reason is the capacity of consciously applying logic by drawing conclusions from new or existing information, with the aim of seeking the truth. It is closely associated with such characteristically human activities as philosophy, science, ...
or
common sense
''Common Sense'' is a 47-page pamphlet written by Thomas Paine in 1775–1776 advocating independence from Great Britain to people in the Thirteen Colonies. Writing in clear and persuasive prose, Paine collected various moral and political arg ...
.
The English word derives from the
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
''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
The abacus (''plural'' abaci or abacuses), also called a counting frame, is a calculating tool which has been used since ancient times. It was used in the ancient Near East, Europe, China, and Russia, centuries before the adoption of the Hi ...
(Latin ''abacus'',
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
''abax''). The abacus was an instrument used by Greeks and Romans for arithmetic calculations, preceding the
slide-rule
The slide rule is a mechanical analog computer which is used primarily for multiplication and division, and for functions such as exponents, roots, logarithms, and trigonometry. It is not typically designed for addition or subtraction, which ...
and the
electronic calculator
An electronic calculator is typically a portable electronic device used to perform calculations, ranging from basic arithmetic to complex mathematics.
The first solid-state electronic calculator was created in the early 1960s. Pocket-sized ...
, and consisted of perforated pebbles sliding on iron bars.
Calculation is a prerequisite for
computation.
See also
*
Calculus (disambiguation)
Calculus (from Latin ''calculus'' meaning ‘pebble’, plural '' calculī'') in its most general sense is any method or system of calculation.
Calculus may refer to:
Biology
* ''Calculus'' (spider), a genus of the family Oonopidae
* ''Cas ...
— list of general methods of calculation by application area
*
Complexity class
In computational complexity theory, a complexity class is a set (mathematics), set of computational problems of related resource-based computational complexity, complexity. The two most commonly analyzed resources are time complexity, time and spa ...
— theoretical notion to categorize calculability
*
Cost accounting
Cost accounting is defined as "a systematic set of procedures for recording and reporting measurements of the cost of manufacturing goods and performing services in the aggregate and in detail. It includes methods for recognizing, classifying, al ...
— business application of calculation
*
List of algorithms
The following is a list of well-known algorithms along with one-line descriptions for each.
Automated planning
Combinatorial algorithms
General combinatorial algorithms
* Brent's algorithm: finds a cycle in function value iterations using on ...
— fully formalized, computer-executable methods of calculation
*
Mental calculation
Mental calculation consists of arithmetical calculations using only the human brain, with no help from any supplies (such as pencil and paper) or devices such as a calculator. People may use mental calculation when computing tools are not availab ...
— 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
Ibn al‐Bannāʾ al‐Marrākushī ( ar, ابن البناء المراكشي), full name: Abu'l-Abbas Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Uthman al-Azdi al-Marrakushi () (29 December 1256 – 31 July 1321), was a Moroccan polymath who was active as a math ...
, about calculation processes
{{Authority control
Elementary arithmetic
Information