Chronology Current Month Current Thread Current Date
[Year List] [Month List (current year)] [Date Index] [Thread Index] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Date Prev] [Date Next]

[Phys-L] Re: Why Calculators? (Was: Calculators a Distraction?)



That 's fine if the student has a spare $1k.

Besides learning to program a calc. is much quicker than a spreadsheet.
I still haven't been able to get my TBASIC to graph.

bc, who couldn't afford a laptop until gate keeper came on the scene.

p.s. don't all programmable / graphic calcs. arrive w/ a book? -- maybe
your [Gary T's] students [nasty coming up] haven't learned how to read?

rlamont wrote:

I totally - absolutely - agree. No one should spend more than $15
on a simple solar calculator. If a complicated expression must be
evaluated or if a graph must be made to conceptualize what is
going on, it's time to move to Excel. I can help a student with
an error they make while setting up a spreadsheet. I can't help a
student with an error they have made in a long calculation using
calculator that I would need about a week to learn how to
operate.

Bob at PC



-----Original Message-----
From: Forum for Physics Educators [mailto:PHYS-
L@list1.ucc.nau.edu] On Behalf Of Gary Turner
Sent: Monday, February 07, 2005 12:14 PM
To: PHYS-L@LISTS.NAU.EDU
Subject: Why Calculators? (Was: Calculators a Distraction?)


One of my pet peeves right now is trying to show college


students how


to do
elementary arithmetic on a $100+ calculator. Apparently,


somewhere


along
the line, they were told to buy this thing, but were never


shown how to


actually use it. Some students can't do any more with it than


the sort


of
calculator that comes free with a box of corn flakes!