Psion 3a Series - Other Functions

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Other functions
OPL functions
The mathematical functions in the calculator (SIN, COS and so on) are provided by
OPL - they are the same 'words' you would use in an OPL program.
There are two types of words used in OPL:
commands - which just perform an action, and
functions - which return a value of some kind.
The functions themselves come in two varieties:
string functions - which return a string of characters, and
numeric functions - which return a number.
You can use any numeric OPL function from within the calculator. Most require
you to specify one or more values to work with, in order to return a number to you. To
do this, as you've seen with functions like SIN, you put the numberis) in brackets after
the name of the function. If you're using more than one number, separate them with
commas.
Itg
3
You can experiment with any and all of the numeric functions, though most
non-mathematical ones will either not work from the calculator, or do nothing useful.
However, do not use the CALI, os or ISRfunctions. These are for advanced use
only, and if you are careless with them you may lose some or all of your
information.
OPL functions can produce a wide range of error messages. These are documented in
the Programming Manual.
List functions
These work w ith lists of numbers. To use them simply type the name of the function,
and then type the numbers on which they are to act in brackets, separated from each
other by commas.
MAX The greatest item in the list, e.g. MAX (2, 8,14) gives 14.
MIN The smallest item in the list, e.g. MIN(2,8,14) gives 2 .
MEAN The mean (average), e.g. MEAN(2,8,17) gives 9.
STD The sample standard deviation,e.g. STD(2,8,14) gives 6.
SUM Thesum,e,g. SUM(2,8,14) gives 24.
VAR The variance, e.g. VAR(2, 8,14) gives 36.
Date and time functions
Typing these functions gives the date and time as kept by the Series 3a:
DAY. MONTH, YEAR. HOUR. MINUTE. SECOND
For example, on 3rd September 1990 typing DAY gives 3 , MONTH gives 9 and
YEAR gives 1990 .
At 3:42:56 pin typing HOUR gives 15, MINUTE gives 42 and SECOND gives 56
Other date and time functions, such as DAYS, may also be useful occasionally.
Evaluate ' in other applications
The Calculator and Spreadsheet are not the only places on the Series 3a where you can
perform calculations. The Database, Agenda and Word Processor each have an
3: The Calculator 35