formulas and calculators

[Tim Burgess <tburgess@jaguar1.usouthal.edu>]

Steve,
	I had a calculator left behind in my class one day. It had a
curious display. Line numbers on left, four digit numbers (years) and then 
brief desriptions of English history. Lines and lines of English history
in a (non-functioning) program named "History". When I looked at the program 
named "Physics"there were lines and lines of formulas (even rearranged 
formulas!) The student did swear that the stored data would never be used 
during testing. 
	Is memorizing formulas (not allowing cards and references) a 
prerequisite to comprehension? I am more sure that understanding what the 
formulas mean and how they are arrived at are much more important than if they
are able to be recalled without aides. Has anyone ever investigated this 
topic? Allowing vs. Disallowing use of formulas on test which emphasize 
comprehension and problem solving and obtaining performance results?

	Tim 
	High School Physics Truck Driver 
 
Tim Burgess                            Alabama Science in Motion 
102 Espejo Street                      Physics Department - ILB-35 
Mobile, AL 36604                       University of South Alabama 
tburgess@jaguar1.usouthal.edu          Mobile, Alabama 36688 
(334)-432-3024                         (334)-460-6224 







On Thu, 4 Apr 1996, Steve Luzader wrote:

>    Martha Takats' comment about filling calculators with formulas is
> interesting to me.  I have students asking if it's alright to use their
> programmable calculators on exams, and they have a strange look on their
> faces when they ask.  Apparently they believe that the calculators can be
> programmed to do the problems for them.  I respond that I really don't
> care what kind of calculators they use, because they have to show all of
> their work anyway in order to get credit for an answer.  And besides, some
> of the problems they are given require symbolic answers, not numerical
> answers.  I emphasize to them that _they_ are responsible for learning
> how to do the problems.  They can't have a calculator, no matter how
> powerful it is, do the work for them.
>
> Steve Luzader
> Frostburg State University
> sluzader@fre.fsu.umd.edu