Here's my solution for the puzzle: CURTA SAVES ----------- HOURS Curta is a base 10 calculator, and there's 10 unique letters in the formula, so it's reasonable to assume each letter represents a unique digit from 0..9, with S=3 A+S=S, the only digit with this property is A=0 U+A=O, since there was a change, there needed to be a carry in the previous R+V, and the only possible carry is 1, so O=U+1 C+S=H, note there is no carry here, so C9, 4+6 clashes with A=0, 4+7 is good, U=1, O=2. 4+8 makes O=3=S contradiction. This same carries over to the next, 11 is a good sum, 12 and 13 don't work 5+6=11 - good. 5+7=12 doesn't work clashes with S. 5+8=13 also clashes with U=3=S. A sum of 14 works, but it can't be achieved with 9, same with 15. 6+7=13 is out, 6+8=14 is good, U=4,O=5. 7+8=15 good, U=5, O=6. And those are all of the combinations R,V can be, (4,7), (5,6), (6,8) and (7,8). To find out which one, we need to look at the previous T+E=R, there is no carry here since previous one was A+S=0+3=3. Let's just try a few combinations, say C=4, H=7. R+V would need to be 5+6, but there's no way to make this work with T+E making a carry (we would have to make do with 4+6, but C=4 already, or 5+5, but that isn't unique). C cannot be 4. C=5, H=8. R,V can only be 4 and 6, T,E=9,7 T+E=6, carry 1. R+V+1=4+6+1=11 -> U=1, O=2. This solves the problem. 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 A U O S V C R T H E I didn't solve this problem by writing a bunch of text, I was mostly doodling on a number line, like I would on a sudoku grid.
Prof. Chris This was such a deep and touching story, more comprehensive and mathy and human than I could have imagined. Wishing you joy and success in 2024
Your series is fun and full of good, sensible reflections. At 1:02:25 for the Curta during an expedition to Greenland, those not-so-smart marketing folks added an image of... a penguin from Antartica! There are no penguins in the Arctic. Doh!
I have a Type 2 made in the early 70's. Like so many even though it's now old it looks, feels and operates like it was made yesterday, it's only slightly older than me and it is standing up to life far better than I am. The high quality of engineering on these is insane. And using it is a dream, the sound and feel of turning the crank on a Curta is pure bliss. Have never for one second regretted the (admittedly extravagant) purchase.
I also have a Type 2, from my late grandfather. Apart from the white paint on a couple of the letters wearing off, it's still as good as new. They really are amazing machines. I especially love the sound of it clearing.
This was amazing; thank you. I just purchased a Curta (for which I absolutely blame William Gibson) and this was the best intro I’ve seen. Definitely subbed; which probably means more impulse purchases 🤣
You want the Curta to be able to turn back if you over run a bit: because each decimal place is offset from the adjacent decimal place, a full rotation is required to keep all decimal placed on the same operational step. That includes the 10s bell (rollover carry) which is delayed after each decimal place addition. Since this mechanism only rolls-over from current decimal place to the next upper decimal place, a whole new mechanism would have to be crammed into the same size machine. Using the current design makes more sense to me, but I've never actually gotten to use one so ignore this if you wish. Thanks for the video all the same, being told it works and having operational examples we can follow helps.
I'm fascinated by the curta. Have seen a very extensive narrated 3D animation video of the "pepper grinder" 's Insides, here on YT. Don't remember on which channel though, But what I already like about THIS here video is your little cackle everytime you say "but we'll leave that for later". PLUS: "But who's the idiot *now* , huh?" 😁
Literally the exact moment I thought to myself "Huh, I wonder if he's read Pattern Recognition?" that section started up. That was definitely the first I'd heard of the device, though it would be somewhat longer before I got curious enough to learn what it was and how it worked
I really loved this "documentary". I learned almost nothing since I read so much on Curta already. But I'll need to get this novel I discovered in your video. I'm also the lucky owner of a Type II one, and I'm still amazed by the mechanical engineering ideas that have been implemented in this tiny device. I spent hours to play with and understand why it has become such a searched objet for collectors.
I NEED one of these things dude! I go into antique stores that sell all kinds of random old trinkets (and trash) and dream about coming across one of these for like $100 or something 😂 I wish. I dont know why, but I MUST have one.
Negative numbers make total sense for this kind of mechanism with only positive numbers. -3 fo example ending up as 99..997. Just imagine that you overflow the numbers and start go from to maximum number (100...000) down by the amount you are subtracting.
On "Quasar-Ed" YT channel there are very exactly good animations how the Curta works. The Curta Calculator: A Mechanical Marvel Explained | Part 1 The Curta Calculator: A Mechanical Marvel Explained | Part 2 Post a link seens not be allowed.
Fantastic!! The stepped drum or Leibniz Wheel is a great mechanism - I made a working one here th-cam.com/video/wjENvJyMfWg/w-d-xo.html and then added an electronic output to it here th-cam.com/video/YH_3d3pGs8c/w-d-xo.html All good fun and you definitely understand a mechanism better when you try and build it! All I can do as I guess I will never own a Curta!
It most definitely is not the greatest mechanical calculator ever made, there are many, many better mechanical calculators, but none as compact. Curtas have a huge cult following, which has pushed their market value way beyond what they are worth for the facilities. The biggest failing of the Curta is the lack of back-transfer facility, something that is necessary for chain calculations, and the lack of reset facility on input.
What's your pick for greatest? Top 5 maybe? I mentioned the lack of back-transfer is significant. Input reset doesn't seem like a big deal to me- but an underflow bell would also be nice. To me "greatest" isn't just about how useful it was at the time- I am judging it by my own modern standards, which naturally has very little to do with actually using it for important calculations.
@@ChrisStaecker Well you’re asking something there. The Hamaan Manus ‘R’ must rank very high for ability, but I also rate the Facit CM2-16 for usability. As a modern collectable the Curta is definitely a widely regarded device, if not for its abilities, for the sheer ingenuity of getting it into such a small package. That took real 3-dimensional thinking long before 3D CAD was a thing
I'm not an expert, but many of these camps were labor camps, and the laborers were actually doing useful work for the Nazis. Especially skilled knowledgeable people like Curt.
this is the stupidest most complicated way to do simple maths and algebra. i have a sinking feeling its this kind of mindset for engineering is why there was only enough lifeboats on the titanic to hold 1/2 of passengers on the Titanic, and because they didnt have these stupid over complicated shit on board is why they only rescued 1/4 of the people on board.
"Pop the Doink" is my new favorite math term. 😆
This ties all the videos so neatly together! Nice compendium of knowledge on the device, really one of the best works on the subject on this website!
Here's my solution for the puzzle:
CURTA
SAVES
-----------
HOURS
Curta is a base 10 calculator, and there's 10 unique letters in the formula, so it's reasonable to assume each letter represents a unique digit from 0..9, with S=3
A+S=S, the only digit with this property is A=0
U+A=O, since there was a change, there needed to be a carry in the previous R+V, and the only possible carry is 1, so O=U+1
C+S=H, note there is no carry here, so C9, 4+6 clashes with A=0, 4+7 is good, U=1, O=2. 4+8 makes O=3=S contradiction. This same carries over to the next, 11 is a good sum, 12 and 13 don't work
5+6=11 - good. 5+7=12 doesn't work clashes with S. 5+8=13 also clashes with U=3=S. A sum of 14 works, but it can't be achieved with 9, same with 15.
6+7=13 is out, 6+8=14 is good, U=4,O=5.
7+8=15 good, U=5, O=6. And those are all of the combinations
R,V can be, (4,7), (5,6), (6,8) and (7,8). To find out which one, we need to look at the previous T+E=R, there is no carry here since previous one was A+S=0+3=3.
Let's just try a few combinations, say C=4, H=7. R+V would need to be 5+6, but there's no way to make this work with T+E making a carry (we would have to make do with 4+6, but C=4 already, or 5+5, but that isn't unique). C cannot be 4.
C=5, H=8. R,V can only be 4 and 6, T,E=9,7 T+E=6, carry 1. R+V+1=4+6+1=11 -> U=1, O=2. This solves the problem.
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
A U O S V C R T H E
I didn't solve this problem by writing a bunch of text, I was mostly doodling on a number line, like I would on a sudoku grid.
Prof. Chris This was such a deep and touching story, more comprehensive and mathy and human than I could have imagined. Wishing you joy and success in 2024
Your series is fun and full of good, sensible reflections.
At 1:02:25 for the Curta during an expedition to Greenland, those not-so-smart marketing folks added an image of... a penguin from Antartica! There are no penguins in the Arctic. Doh!
I'd use that for calculating how many miles a long road trip was so I don't have to try to remember to look at the odometer the whole time.
I have a Type 2 made in the early 70's. Like so many even though it's now old it looks, feels and operates like it was made yesterday, it's only slightly older than me and it is standing up to life far better than I am. The high quality of engineering on these is insane. And using it is a dream, the sound and feel of turning the crank on a Curta is pure bliss. Have never for one second regretted the (admittedly extravagant) purchase.
I also have a Type 2, from my late grandfather. Apart from the white paint on a couple of the letters wearing off, it's still as good as new. They really are amazing machines. I especially love the sound of it clearing.
This was amazing; thank you. I just purchased a Curta (for which I absolutely blame William Gibson) and this was the best intro I’ve seen. Definitely subbed; which probably means more impulse purchases 🤣
You want the Curta to be able to turn back if you over run a bit: because each decimal place is offset from the adjacent decimal place, a full rotation is required to keep all decimal placed on the same operational step. That includes the 10s bell (rollover carry) which is delayed after each decimal place addition. Since this mechanism only rolls-over from current decimal place to the next upper decimal place, a whole new mechanism would have to be crammed into the same size machine.
Using the current design makes more sense to me, but I've never actually gotten to use one so ignore this if you wish. Thanks for the video all the same, being told it works and having operational examples we can follow helps.
Amazing explanation and storytelling, what a ride.
Thanks a lot!
Amazing!!! That’s content that truly deserves attention. What a value.
Part of the reason I have one is the story of how it was invented! Really interesting, just like this video…thank you :)
Curta
Curta 👍
killin' it brother
This was truly excellent and I learned so much. Thanks Professor Chris.
I'm fascinated by the curta. Have seen a very extensive narrated 3D animation video of the "pepper grinder" 's Insides, here on YT. Don't remember on which channel though,
But what I already like about THIS here video is your little cackle everytime you say "but we'll leave that for later". PLUS: "But who's the idiot *now* , huh?" 😁
th-cam.com/video/vCjJ5GeuQD8/w-d-xo.htmlsi=2hQyE79zggFiefbY
Quasar-Ed
This was so amazing and well researched! I agree that this makes more sense to me than the ET hypothesis.
I enjoy this so much! Amazing content, best wishes to you and your future projects! 🌻
Literally the exact moment I thought to myself "Huh, I wonder if he's read Pattern Recognition?" that section started up. That was definitely the first I'd heard of the device, though it would be somewhat longer before I got curious enough to learn what it was and how it worked
I really loved this "documentary". I learned almost nothing since I read so much on Curta already. But I'll need to get this novel I discovered in your video. I'm also the lucky owner of a Type II one, and I'm still amazed by the mechanical engineering ideas that have been implemented in this tiny device. I spent hours to play with and understand why it has become such a searched objet for collectors.
You can in fact do parallel calculation on modern calculators (TI-83 at least) by using matrices.
1:06:57 An Odhner is much like the Curta. If you try one out, you will see many similarities.
Nice. Happy new year to you.
There are any mechanical drawings of every part of the Curta and exactly what material the parts are made of ?
I was searching a video about the gerber graphanalogue but there is none. Did I miss it?
Not yet- someday!
14:43 Someone somewhere is writing their science fiction story with this exact line of dialogue.
Herzstark "to be curt, which I am..."
I NEED one of these things dude! I go into antique stores that sell all kinds of random old trinkets (and trash) and dream about coming across one of these for like $100 or something 😂
I wish.
I dont know why, but I MUST have one.
If we did spreadsheets by hand, parallel calculation would cut the time in half.
Negative numbers make total sense for this kind of mechanism with only positive numbers. -3 fo example ending up as 99..997. Just imagine that you overflow the numbers and start go from to maximum number (100...000) down by the amount you are subtracting.
Brave, I tried to do this on paper once and it blew up my desk and took off my right arm below the elbow
-1 being 9 repeating means the curta is p-adic approved.
well 10 isn't exactly a prime number
I thought this was related to digital logic turning a negative number into a positive by finding its 2 compliments then adding the numbers
1:06:09 I was really nervous about what his reaction would be, so wholesome!!! :3
Have you tried dividing by ZERO with it?
Please compute 355/113 on the Curta, which is Pi accurate to 8*10**-8
Great job!
You bring people to curta world
it's all adding
A Curta should be gifted to the first aliens to visit Earth.
The Lament Configuration Box 👁️👄👁️
Wait wait wait. Are your 12 videos about the Curta all combined into this one easily-digestable 76-minute video??
It is indeed. So YOU don't have to "pop a doink" looking for all the clips on the "interwebz"... 😁
all twelve videos were 1h 16min ? A shame, too short! Hopefully there will be 12 more in 2024.
Now I'am a man who knows a man with a Curta ...😁
On "Quasar-Ed" YT channel there are very exactly good animations how the Curta works.
The Curta Calculator: A Mechanical Marvel Explained | Part 1
The Curta Calculator: A Mechanical Marvel Explained | Part 2
Post a link seens not be allowed.
you're like Mr. Plinket's nerdy nephew
Curta 🇧🇷
I thought WALTHER only made guns,interesting!
hehe
Fantastic!! The stepped drum or Leibniz Wheel is a great mechanism - I made a working one here th-cam.com/video/wjENvJyMfWg/w-d-xo.html and then added an electronic output to it here th-cam.com/video/YH_3d3pGs8c/w-d-xo.html All good fun and you definitely understand a mechanism better when you try and build it! All I can do as I guess I will never own a Curta!
HOURS , one S =3,
❤😂😂😂❤
its verry beautiful video ❤
"this little boink:
lmao
Doink
It most definitely is not the greatest mechanical calculator ever made, there are many, many better mechanical calculators, but none as compact. Curtas have a huge cult following, which has pushed their market value way beyond what they are worth for the facilities. The biggest failing of the Curta is the lack of back-transfer facility, something that is necessary for chain calculations, and the lack of reset facility on input.
What's your pick for greatest? Top 5 maybe?
I mentioned the lack of back-transfer is significant. Input reset doesn't seem like a big deal to me- but an underflow bell would also be nice. To me "greatest" isn't just about how useful it was at the time- I am judging it by my own modern standards, which naturally has very little to do with actually using it for important calculations.
@@ChrisStaecker Well you’re asking something there. The Hamaan Manus ‘R’ must rank very high for ability, but I also rate the Facit CM2-16 for usability. As a modern collectable the Curta is definitely a widely regarded device, if not for its abilities, for the sheer ingenuity of getting it into such a small package. That took real 3-dimensional thinking long before 3D CAD was a thing
Why did the Germans not just kill anyone that arrived at a camp immediately, why did they keep moving them around from camp to camp ?
I'm not an expert, but many of these camps were labor camps, and the laborers were actually doing useful work for the Nazis. Especially skilled knowledgeable people like Curt.
this is the stupidest most complicated way to do simple maths and algebra. i have a sinking feeling its this kind of mindset for engineering is why there was only enough lifeboats on the titanic to hold 1/2 of passengers on the Titanic, and because they didnt have these stupid over complicated shit on board is why they only rescued 1/4 of the people on board.
What other way would you suggest?
There’s a reason why your comment is at the bottom. 🙄