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Texas Instruments Little Professor

Little Professor

Little Professor requesting the answer to the problem '4+2='.

Texas Instruments Little Professor

Distinctive features: The first calculator-based mathematical learning aid/game.

Technical details:
Display is 8 digits, LED.

Teaching aid for the 4 mathematical functions.

Power supply is a 9v PP3 replaceable battery.

Integrated circuit is a Texas Instruments TMS0975NL, here date coded 1976, week 50.

Size 89 x 128 x 30 mm (3.5 x 5.0 x 1.2").

1976.

Made by Texas Instrument, this example in Italy.

 

The Little Professor uses electronic calculator technology to produce an elementary mathematics teaching aid in a game-like form.
It operates as follows:

Little Professor box

The box of the Little Professor.

Inside the Little Professor

The circuit board of the Little Professor.

At the top is the LED display with its magnifying lenses.

Below, in the middle, is the Texas Instruments TMS0975NL, here date coded 1976, week 50.

On the left is the power On/Off switch, and on the right is the difficulty-level switch.

At the bottom is the thin black plastic covering over the key contacts, which keeps the dirt out.

Little Professor difficulty level switch

Side view showing the difficulty-level switch which is used on the first version of the Little Professor.  From the next version this setting was made using extra keys on the keyboard.

The Little Professor has proved to be very successful and has been manufactured and marketed since 1976 to the present day.  Over this time it has evolved over a number of versions; in the 1980s the LED display was replaced by LCD, and in the 1990s the Little Professor is powered by a solar cell.

Similar electronic mathematical learning aids were manufactured by other companies.

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Text & photographs copyright, except where stated otherwise, © Nigel Tout 2000-2024.