Calculators and Phones

Why are the numbers on a calculator and the numbers on a phone in reverse order? This has bothered me for a very long time and I have never found a satisfactory explanation.

A phone starts at 1 on the top left, continues to the right, and then down.



A calculator starts at 1 on the bottom left, continues to the right, and then up.



This results in another conflict. Does zero come before 1 or after 9. A calculator reads from the bottom, 0123456789, whereas a phone reads from the top, 1234567890.

I am not a proponent of either order, but I don’t understand why they are different. They should be the same.

It is particularly bothersome when I use my cell phone as a calculator. Most cell phones can double as a calculator. My phone is particularly irksome as it has a calculator program as well as a full keypad. The keypad is of course in the “phone” order. But when the calculator program displays on the screen the numbers are in calculator order. So if I want to key the numbers on the keypad, but look at the screen it is very confusing. Just make them the same and all will be fine.

I wonder if Mr. Monk has an explanation.