Keeping track of sequential numbers

[rgsparber]

I am in the middle of writing an article with a lot of pictures. Each picture is assigned a number. As I concentrate on the text, I often forget which number to use next. Sure, I can write it on a scrap of paper, but this breaks my concentration. Then, I realized that I already had a tool that will do this for me: a digital kitchen timer set to count up. I advance the number by having it run one second at a time. Problem solved.

Rick

[mklotz]

IMS, some four banger calculators have a feature that could be used. I don't remember the technique exactly but you load a value into its constant register (memory) and add it to the sum displayed, then each additional press of '+' will repeat that operation. (I'm sure I've got that bungled but I'm too lazy to research it since I'd never use it.)

Faced with the same problem, I would write a short program for my HP 35S calculator; then a single press of the R/S button would advance the displayed count by one.

Which said allows me to segue into the following...

If you want a programmable, RPN calculator for your computer, download the HP 35S emulator from...

https://www.educalc.net/2336231.page

and install it in your toolbar so you can easily pop it up in the midst of whatever page you're using on the web.

[rgsparber]

My HP was sitting right next to my timer! Load the stack with 1’s and increment by pressing +.

Thanks Marv!

Rick

[mklotz]

My HP was sitting right next to my timer! Load the stack with 1’s and increment by pressing +.

Thanks Marv!

Rick

Glad to be of help. Given your engineering background, I opined that you would have a calculator, probably an RPN model and, more likely than not, programmable. And, of course, I overlooked the full stack drop down solution - much simpler than a program.

I entertained myself by trying to think of more Rube Goldberg solutions to this problem...

If one has a stack of nickels and a scale that reads out in grams, throw a nickel on the scale for each increment then the count is the indicated weight multiplied by 0.2. (An American nickle weighs exactly five grams.)

If you have an abacus, use it. If you don't you can fabricate a counting board as used in ancient Rome. Draw three parallel lines on a piece of paper. On each line place four pennies and one nickel. Now you have a soroban, the Japanese version of the Chinese abacus. By sliding the coins about you'll be able to register numbers up to one thousand.

Thanks for posting a solution that inspired some creative thinking.

[rgsparber]

All of us are smarter than anyone of us ��

[mklotz]

All of us are smarter than anyone of us ��

You are so right. First time I saw your sig, I added it to my list of memorable quotes.

[Toolmaker51]

Found another use for my coin roll....https://makeagif.com/i/UkeYHG

This might not make sense to a huge portion of HMT'ers. Hmm, a non-preview link...so I wonder who'll quip first? marksbug? DIYSwede? Frank S.?