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Ramo
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Austin, Texas, USA
Oct 1999
time: 23:28
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As a math and physics major, the only calculator I've ever used in college has been a $10 "scientific calculator." Graphing calculators aren't worth the money, IMO. But if you're going to get one, get the cheapest one you can.
I've used most of the TI series, and it's definitely not worth it to get a TI-86 over a TI-83. The TI-89/92 can do indefinite integrals which is nice, but you can just use a table/computer to do the same thing and not spend $100+.
IIRC, in my Probability class, pretty much all the integrals I needed were exponentials and Gaussians. Exponentials are trivial, and everyone had tables for Gaussians (and you can't evaluate a Gaussian indefinitely). So my $10 calculator suited me just fine.
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cinch
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Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Jul 2002
time: 22:28
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quote:
Your school allows calculators? |
Yes, what is up with that? I thought it was common practice that calculators were disallowed in university maths...
I was mistaken, I guess.
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In math at univesity they officially disallow calculators except scientific, but here it is seldom applied because no one brings any (graphic or scientific).
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Whaleboy
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Please make all cheques payable to Whaleboy
Jan 2003
time: 05:28
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For once I have to agree with Asher. Especially in anything but very advanced pure maths and mechanics (and stats where one would otherwise have to perform menial and pointless calculations over and over... hang that IS stats :cute , I think that calculators, especially the newer ones that can factorise are probably harming peoples ability to do maths in their heads.
I regret being allowed calculators in maths when I studied it, because I wasnt able to tune my mind properly to the task and the subject. As such, I didnt do as well as I could have, as I like to think that the human brain is more powerful (if not as fast) as a piece of silicon. However, I relied on that silicon.
If the brain can do it, and do it reasonably fast, then while your learning it, "crippling yourself" will build up your skills faster.
I'll ask some of my compski maths type friends about your problem, if they have a solution, I'll PM you if this thread is no longer visible, no promises mind.
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Immortal Wombat
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in perpetuity
Dec 2000
time: 05:28
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Banning calculators is stupid. Nowhere will you be required to perform calculations that calcs can do without one IRL, so why not use them while learning techniques? They save time.
Sure up to maybe age 15/16 then disallow them for basic calculations, but once you're past that, you don't (stats excluded) need them for anything more than time saving, torturous arithmatic that you could do in your head, but simply isn't worth the effort. Maybe trigonometry, but then they're just electronic trig tables.
And once you get to Uni maths, most of it is proofs and stuff where you don't even see a number all year, just numbers. Calcs are useless.
I find cheap ones are better, because then when you get really frikking pissed off half way through the calculation, and the damn thing just isn't coming out right over and over and over, and you lose your temper and smash your elbow down through the calculator crushing the circuit board between bone and table and rendering it utterly useless (if maybe after a brief period of amusement where only half the buttons work), it's cheaper to replace.
Incidentally, I did an A-level maths exam today and used my calculator (£7 Casio) twice.
Graphics calculators aren't all that much more useful, except when you download the instructions of how to program MineSweeper to keep yourself amused in Stats lessons. Then it takes almost as much brain effort to program the graph you want it to draw (scales, line of fit, blah blah) than to work it out in the first place.
This is the longest post I've posted in months, and it's about calculators. :cry:
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Asher
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Calgary, Alberta
Nov 1999
time: 22:28
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quote:
Originally posted by elijah
For once I have to agree with Asher. Especially in anything but very advanced pure maths and mechanics (and stats where one would otherwise have to perform menial and pointless calculations over and over... hang that IS stats :cute, I think that calculators, especially the newer ones that can factorise are probably harming peoples ability to do maths in their heads.
I regret being allowed calculators in maths when I studied it, because I wasnt able to tune my mind properly to the task and the subject. As such, I didnt do as well as I could have, as I like to think that the human brain is more powerful (if not as fast) as a piece of silicon. However, I relied on that silicon.
If the brain can do it, and do it reasonably fast, then while your learning it, "crippling yourself" will build up your skills faster. |
I agree, my high school permitted graphing calculators, and when I got to university I had to re-learn so much stuff since I was overly dependant on the graphing calculator to do everything. I understand the mechanics and fundamentals of mathematics much better now that I was forbidden from using calculators.
At first I thought it sucked, I thought it was stupid as soon as I heard about it, but it truly is a better way to learn math, IMO. 
The argument that "no where in real life would you be forbidden to use calculators" doesn't apply to universities as far as I'm concerned. Universities are about general enlightenment and education and understanding, it's not a technical training school for the real world. If you want that, go to a technical school.
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20-05-2003 01:03
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