Re: INNUMERACY, was Re: Use of Calculators

["Daniel L. MacIsaac" <Dan.MacIsaac@nau.edu>]

Actually, I have been shocked to find that I have to teach my students how to
use the exponent key and manipulate exponents with their calculators.  I've
even been citing some astronomy notes on the web when students ask "how do
I enter this number" -- the mass of the Earth, etc.  I think there's a real
need for some simple tutorials in dealing with +,-, /,* operations in
exponential notations with a calculator.  I KNOW this wasn't the case with
my Purdue Freshman engineers, but every other class I have taught Physics
or Asty to has required a mini-tutorial. 

Has anyone written one, or should I get off my rear and do it moi-meme?

Dan M

Dan MacIsaac, Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Northern AZ Univ
danmac@nau.edu  http://www.phy.nau.edu/~danmac/homepage.html

> And, how many times has anybody seen students entering a number in
> scientific notation incorrectly?  (e.g. 8.99 X 10E9 instead of 8.99E9).  A
> source of endless frustration tracking down loose orders of magnitude in
> solutions, especially if there is a subsequent square root!
>
> George Spagna           **********************************************