A calculator is a small hand-held computer that performs mathematical calculations. ... It is also a program on a computer that simulates a hand-held calculator. Calculator programs let you perform simple math calculations without leaving the computer.

Was the first calculator a computer?

The first calculator or adding machine to be produced in any quantity and actually used was the Pascaline, or Arithmetic Machine, designed and built by the French mathematician-philosopher Blaise Pascal between 1642 and 1644.

Is a calculator a dedicated computer?

In fact, the sophisticated electronic calculators of today are actually dedicated, or special-purpose, computers. They contain built-in instructions on how to perform certain limited operations.