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'''Calculation''' is a deliberate process for transforming one or more inputs into one or more results, with variable change.The term is used in a variety of senses, from the very definite arithmetical calculation of using an algorithm to the vague heuristics of calculating a strategy in a competition or calculating the chance of a successful relationship between two people. | |||
For example, multiplying 7 by 6 is a simple algorithmic calculation. Estimating the fair price for financial instruments using the Black–Scholes model is a complex algorithmic calculation. | |||
Statistical estimations of the likely election results from opinion polls also involve algorithmic calculations, but provide results made up of ranges of possibilities rather than exact answers. | |||
To calculate means to ascertain by computing. The English word derives from the Latin calculus, which originally meant a small stone in the gall-bladder . It also meant a pebble used for calculating, or a small stone used as a counter in an abacus. The abacus was an instrument used by Greeks and Romans for arithmetic calculations, preceding the slide-rule and the electronic calculator, and consisted of perforated pebbles sliding on an iron bars. | |||
==Comparison to computation== | |||
Calculate comes from the Greek word gravel in English because Greeks used gravel for counting. In English, calculation involves numbers and the word usually connotes a simple process, but computation may be done by applying specific rules, with or without numbers, and the word is chosen for more complex tasks. | |||
Calculation is a prerequisite for computation.The difference in the meaning of calculation and computation appears to originate from the late medieval period. | |||
==Sources== | |||
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calculation Wikipedia Calculation] | |||