OT: RANT - Sharp EL-9900 variables accept complex numbers, but not the program "Input" command!

[Bart (UK)]

I was quite pleased to find the EL-9900 does complex LN and EXP, and that variables store complex numbers. So when I decided to write some programs using complex numbers, I was annoyed to discover that the "Input" command does NOT accept complex numbers! What a limitation! Of course there is a way around it, by using two variables to input the real and imaginary values of the number (note, no i allowed) and combine it into a complex number in the program - but this is a calculator that has only 26 global variables to start with. It is things like this that have always made me prefer HP's.

[Crawl]

It seems like that would only ever require one additional variable per program, no matter how many variables you originally intended to use.

"Enter real part variable a", Input a

"Enter imag part variable a", input m

a = a + i * m

"Enter real part variable b", Input b

"Enter imag part variable b", input m

b = b + i * m

Edited: 28 Feb 2012, 7:27 a.m.

[Bart (UK)]

I agree, but depending on the program - one may just be one to many. Actually i made a mis-representation in my previous post, the EL-9900 has 27 (not 26) variables, A-Z and theta (I don't know if theta is capable of storing a complex number (I do not have the calculator close at hand at the moment), but could be used instead if your 'm').