SoftmicaCalc Processors and Specialized Calculators

SoftmicaCalc has five specialized calculators and two specialized processors all of which are integrated into the primary calculator.  Those processors and calculators are as follows:

  1. Function Processor
  2. Equation Processor
  3. Date Calculator
  4. Time Calculator
  5. Date-Time Calculator
  6. Distance Calculator
  7. Freeform Calculator

 

Function Processor
 

The function processor allows the user to enter functions in variable “x” and iterate the value of “x” based upon a condition the user selects in the “Function Methodology” drop down.  Each iteration of x and f(x) or f1(x) and f2(x) are saved to a table. The choices are as follows:

  1. Increment x (from a starting value) by a set amount a specified number of iterations.
  2. Increment x (from a starting value) by a set amount until x reaches a specified value.
  3. Increment x until y = f(x) reaches a specified value.
  4. Increment x until the absolute value of y (ABS(y)) reaches a specified value.
  5. Make y = f(x) the next value of x and then compare the result with some value to determine if the iterations continue or terminate.
  6. Calculate y = f1(x) and z = f2(x) incrementing x in each function by a set amount for a specified number of iterations.  The form of the function is f1(x):f2(x)
  7. Calculate y = Sum(f(x,n)) as n is incremented.  The value of x remains fixed to some value.  “n” is incremented a set number of times or until a compare condition is satisfied.  The result of each calculation is added to the new value of y, effectively resulting in a summation y = ∑ f(x,n)

The parameters for increment and comparison are displayed automatically when the user selects the function methodology.  

Users can give any function a name and save it and the other parameters for later recall.  This list is indexed alphabetically and can be searched by entering the first letters of the function name.

Data from all increments is saved to a table containing x and y values or x, y and z values.  This data can then be analyzed and plotted.  Below is an example of an x, y, z table created using the #6 function option as shown:

The resulting data table is shown below.

Examples of two different plots of this data follow:

 

Equation Processor
 

The equation processor is perhaps the most innovative and powerful capability in SoftmicCalc.  The user simply enters a syntactically valid equation with whatever variable names he/she chooses.  After pressing [Enter], the Equation Processor will parse out the variable names and create a table to enter their values and perform the computation when the user presses [Calculate].  Equations can use any of the typical math functions plus many of the specialized functions (including string processing functions) included in SoftmicCalc.  String functions must use specialized string variables accessed using certain string functions.  Functions can contain up to ten different variable names.

There are tabs for ten different equations.  There are functions to reference the results from the function in any tab, or the variable in any tab.

A single variable or multiple variables can be automatically incremented to create a table of values that can then be analyzed and/or plotted.  The multi-variable auto-increment feature is very sophisticated and flexible.

Any equation can be saved with or without data for later recall into any of the ten tabs.

Below is an example of a simple single variable equation for sind(alpha) where sind is the sine in degrees.  Auto increment of alpha is selected and the resulting table shown below.

 



Data Table from iterative calculation

Resulting Plot


 

Equation with more variables



 

Date Calculator

Date Calc Features:

  1. Calculate the number of days and work days (based upon US holidays) between any two dates.  Click the calendar icons to select the dates.
  2. Add x days to date1 to get date2 with work days between the dates.
  3. Subtract x days from date2 to get date1 with work days between the dates.
  4. Automatically see the next holiday and the number of days to the holiday.  Select any holiday and see the number of days to/from the holiday.
  5. Enter any birthdays or important dates into a table.  See the next important day when the Date Calc window opens.  Select any important date to see the number of days until that event, including a lookback.
  6. See a list of the next three upcoming important dates as shown in the screen shot above.  This will only be shown if important dates are entered.


 

Time Calculator

Time Calc Features:

  1. Calculate the time difference in mm:ss between any two times.
  2. Add a time in dd:hh:mm  to Time 1 to get Time 2.
  3. Subtract a time in dd:hh:mm  from Time2 to get Time 1.
  4. Add or Subtract times from either A or B in area C.
  5. Save and recall times to add or subtract.
  6. Set a countdown timer from sources A, B, or C or a set number of seconds.
  7. Set an alarm using either Time 1 or Time 2.
  8. Transfer the results of any time calculation to Calc active calc level.
  9. Swap Time 1 and Time 2 values.

 

Date-Time Calculator
 

Date-Time Calc Features:

  1. Calculate the difference between date/time 1 and date/time 2.  The result is displayed in four different units: dd:hh:mm, hhh:mm, min, and sec.
  2. Add a value in dd:hh:mm to date/time 1 to get date/time 2
  3. Subtract a value in dd:hh:mm to date/time2 to get a date/time 1
  4. Add or Subtract date/time values from area A or B to get a result in hhh:mm
  5. Save values to add/subtract for later recall.
  6. Swap date/time 1 and date/time 2 values

 

Distance Calculator
 

Distance Calc Features:

  1. Contains a database of thousands of airports worldwide including almost every commercial airport in the USA.  The user can access these airports either by ICAO code or by doing a search on the city name.  
  2. Calculate the air distance (great circle) between any two airports in the database.
  3. Transfer either airport to Point 1 or Point 2 in Stored Favorite Locations.
  4. Enter any custom location in stored favorites by providing a name, 3 letter id, and the lat/long coordinates.
  5. Calculate air distance and approximate driving distance between any two favorite locations.
  6. Store the waypoint pair in “Saved Waypoint Pairs” for further display and analysis.

  1. Select any waypoint pair for display in Point 1 and Point 2 with appropriate distance calculations.
  2. Transfer either air or driving distance into either calculator or memory.
  3. Convert lat/long values to or from deg.mm.ss format to or from decimal format.

 

Free Form Calculator

Free Form Calculator Features:

  1. Enter any valid computational expression and get instant result when you press [Compute].
  2. Expressions can contain any valid SoftmicaCalc function or operators.  No variables are allowed (except string or memory variables), only numbers.
  3. All expressions are saved in a list for later recall and edit.
  4. Expressions are numbered and can be either top to bottom or bottom to top.
  5. All expressions can be instantly recomputed.
  6. Expression list can be cleared, edited, displayed and printed.
  7. Expressions have access to string variables allowing access to stored string values.