computer science

Sharp PC-5000

Sharp PC-5000 is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Sharp PC-5000 rather than just read about it. In short: The Sharp PC-5000 was a pioneering laptop computer, announced by Sharp Corporation of Japan in November 1983. It employed a clamshell design in which the display closes over the keyboard, like the earlier GRiD Compass and contemporary Gavilan SC.

Key takeaways

Sharp PC-5000 belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Sharp PC-5000 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Sharp PC-5000 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Sharp PC-5000 was a pioneering laptop computer, announced by Sharp Corporation of Japan in November 1983. It employed a clamshell design in which the display closes over the keyboard, like the earlier GRiD Compass and contemporary Gavilan SC. The PC-5000 was largely IBM PC-compatible, with the same 4.77-MHz Intel 8088 processor as the IBM PC, and ran MS-DOS 2.0 (in ROM). It had 128 kilobytes of internal memory (it was one of the few computers to use bubble memory), which could be expanded by the use of plug-in cartridges. The cartridge slots also accepted ROM cartridges containing software, such as the Extended BASIC programming language and the EasyPac software suite, which contained the EasyWrite II word processor, EasyReport reports program, and EasyComm terminal software for use with the internal modem. It featured a 640×80-pixel (80-character by 8-line) LCD, a full-travel keyboard, and an external dual 5.25-inch floppy disk drive. A notable feature of the computer was its built-in thermal printer, which could also be purchased separately and attached to the machine. It is perhaps due to this attachment that the case design of the PC-5000 owes much to that of electronic typewriters of its time. While far more portable than the popular Compaq Portable or Osborne 1 computers, the machine weighed 5 kg (11 lb). Sharp succeeded the PC-5000 with the fully IBM-compatible PC-7000 in late 1985.

Reception Your Computer magazine selected the PC-5000 as one of the best personal computers of 1983. Creative Computing chose the PC-5000 as the best notebook portable between $1,000 and $2,500 for 1984, although criticizing the difficulty of finding the computer in stores and questionable support from Sharp and third-party vendors.

References

External links Article about the PC-5000 Review of the PC-5000 from 1984 Vintage-computer page about the PC-5000 Old-computers page about the PC-5000 "Sharp PC-5000, 360 degree model", Russian Vintage Laptop Museum (museum), 6 April 2017

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Sharp PC-5000

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Sharp PC-5000 claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Sharp PC-5000 before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Sharp PC-5000 ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Sharp PC-5000

In research: Sharp PC-5000 appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Sharp PC-5000 in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Sharp PC-5000 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Computer-related introductions in 1983, Computer hardware stubs, Early laptops, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Sharp PC-5000 outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Sharp PC-5000 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Sharp PC-5000 means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Sharp PC-5000 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Sharp PC-5000 in simple terms?

Why does Sharp PC-5000 matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Sharp PC-5000?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Sharp PC-5000.