Re: Scientific method was physical pendulums/ an opportunity

[Hugh Haskell <haskell@ODIE.NCSSM.EDU>]

Leigh Palmer wrote (among lots of other things):

> I think the students need to have the same calculator full time.
> I use an hp-15C, a very powerful programmable, but I never program
> it any more; it's always easier to use my Mac instead. I believe
> the powerful hand held calculator has passed its period of utility
> now that there are such things as iBooks around. (No, I don't have
> one.)
>
> Leigh

Right on, Leigh. It is important that the students use the same
equipment most of the time, and, even if it's simpler than their
ordinary stuff, the time to put it into use is not during a test. I
also agree that we old fogies who no longer have to carry our
calculating around with us all the time as we move from class to
class, don't need fancy calculators. I have had, with varying degrees
of enthusiasm, several more or less powerful calculators from both TI
and HP. Almost none of them ever got anything near optimum use, and
the level of use has decreased over the years. Now, I would just as
soon have a non-programmable scientific calculator that I can drop in
my shirt pocket when I need to carry one around. Unfortunately, the
last one I had just died, and since our students all have TI-83+'s
they no longer leave the old useful ones lying around, so my supply
of them has dried up. I especially liked one that had unit
conversions and physical constants built into it. I was really sorry
when that one died.

For calculating and graphing needs, I find a spreadsheet and
Vernier's Graphical Analysis program meet almost all my needs. I can
set up the calculation quickly on the spreadsheet and just as quickly
export the result to GA, and have is graphed in whatever mode I want
in seconds--even easier than using the graphing features of the
spreadsheet, most of which I find very clunky and non-intuitive. GA
has powerful functional graphing, curve fitting and statistical
functions built in that are easy to use. Furthermore, it accepts
uploads of data from the TI calculators, so the students can have
access to the same powerful techniques. If I absolutely have to do
computing on the move, I just carry my PowerBook along (An iBook may
be in the future, but what I really want is Airport to connect to my
current PowerBook).

Hugh


Hugh Haskell
<mailto://hhaskell@mindspring.com>

Let's face it. People use a Mac because they want to, Windows because they
have to..
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