The calculator I use at home is simple. 5-3=2
But the calculator I use at work requires that I go through the back door to calculate subtractions: 15+5- Lord only knows what foolishness will take place if I hit the “=” button at this point.
So why is it that business calculators are different from home calculators?
I’m not really sure what you’re asking as all my calculators work pretty much the same (as per the built in calculator in MS Windows). Perhaps you’ve run into one of those Reverse Polish calculators (not kidding)? I know a few people who use them and I can, if everybody will just sit down and shut up for a minute. The people I know who use them tell me they have trouble with standard calculator syntax.
Because accountants are an odd bunch of bananas. These adding machines think something like this:
First you have to punch in the balance, then hit the + or - key to indicate whether it’s a positive or negative balance. Each time you want to make an adjustment, you need to punch in the number and then hit the + or - key to tell the machine whether it’s a credit or a debit.
Balancing a cash drawer might go something like:
$1200.25 + (positive opening balance)
$25.00 + (sale, i.e. money went into the drawer)
$2.04 - (change, i.e. money left the drawer)
Result:
$1223.21 + (positive balance forward)
It’s kind of like a balance sheet, where no notation means a positive balance or an addition, and a number in parenthesis or in red indicates a negative balance or a debit.
Got that?