Calculator usage: how to get rid of “P” or “PEN” on some Sharps

The tutor offers the simple way to return from the “P” or “PEN” state on some Sharps.

Sometimes a student will bring me a Sharp calculator: “It’s not working…there’s that ‘P’ on the screen.” In another case, the screen might say ‘PEN’.

In either situation, the calculator has been put in PEN mode, which means base 5. On many Sharps this can happen pretty easily, since the combination to do so is

2ndF =

If 2ndF is unwittingly pressed with =, you end up in PEN mode.

The mode you want to be in is DEC (decimal) mode. The way to return to it on the Sharps I own is

2ndF +

You’ll see DEC above the right key to use if + doesn’t work.

HTH:)

Jack of Oracle Tutoring by Jack and Diane, Campbell River, BC.

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