INFENSE: Dumb and Number

11 January 2009

Dumb and Number

IS there a rational reason for why the numbers on the number pads on keyboards and calculators are configured the opposite way to telephones?

Please explain.

3 comments:

AdamMonday, 12 January, 2009
This has also confounded me ever since I learnt to type on a numeric keyboard in my retail days! However one of the most popular theories - and there are a number of them you can find by Googling - is that the touch-tone keypad was designed to mimic the rotary dial with the "1" on top and the 7-8-9 on the bottom. A second reason was that some phone-company research concluded that this configuration helped eliminate dialing errors. Hmpph!
ReplyDelete
Replies
InfenseMonday, 12 January, 2009
I like the rotary dial theory best. I always liked using those phones - making a call seemed more importnat when you had to drag your finger around...

WARNING: THIS COMMENT MIGHT WELL EMPHASISE THE FACT YOU ARE OLDER THAN YOU LOOK DAVID....
SUGGESTED RESPONSE - ABORT COMMENT...
ReplyDelete
Replies
AnonymousSunday, 01 February, 2009
So...

If putting the 123 at the top eliminates dialling errors, how come the calculator is still the other way around? Or do accountants not make as many errors?

Maybe it's an accountant thing - they are a bit strange...oh no, wait, I'M an accountant, what am I saying?
ReplyDelete
Replies

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)