True to its name an RPN calculator requires you to start with the answer and work backwards.
Think ‘Jeopardy’.
:)
Had one, hated it.
If you are involved in long mathematical equations, there is no other way.
In Reverse Polish notation the operators are before the operand. It not really backward as some say or starting with the answer as you suggest, but sideways as only old hippie programmers with pony tails can truly think.
Not quite.
RPN sounded real cutting edge and cerebral when a computer geek tried to explain it to a liberal arts major. But one day I explained it to my grandfather and he just stared at me with an annoyed look and said...”what are you jibber jabbering about?! That’s just a plain old adding machine!”
Then he showed me how his state of the art fancy schmancy electric adding machine worked. It was the size of a toaster oven. And sure enough, it was pretty much reverse polish notation. It didn’t have trig functions though. But still...
He was faster than me too.
I couldn’t wait to tell all my geeky college buddies what my gramps showed me. They were stunned.