The numbers on the phone pad start with 1 in the upper left corner, going down to 9 in the bottom right corner.
The numbers on a calculator start with 1 in the bottom left corn, going up to 9 in the top right corner.
For example, the top left number on a phone pad is 1. The top left number on a calculator is 7.
This difference makes it challenging to switch between the two. Why were they designed this way?
In: Engineering
I think the basic idea is the to consider the position of the hand while using the devices.
Calculators are usually used while sitting at a desk where more often than not, your hand lies at the bottom of the calculator. Your hand is more familiar going forward than backward, so numbers starting from bottom are intuitive.
Mobile phones on the other hand are hand held, and you use your thumb to press keys. From a natural hand position, the thumb is quite flexible and can move in random directions easily (thanks to joysticks and smartphones human thumbs are more precise than ever… XD). So the number pad is placed upright just so that it looks less confusing.
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