In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, many mechanical calculators were developed, though with little success until the arrival of the arithmometer, a portable and reliable mechanical device that could add, subtract, multiply, and divide numbers.

在17、18和19世纪，开发了很多机械计器，但在四则计器到来之前几乎都没有成功，四则计器是种便携式的机械装置，以对数字进行加、减、乘和除。