Re[2]: Programmable Calculator Policies

[Leigh Palmer <palmer@sfu.ca>]

> Having a standard calculator will work, but getting an entire school to agree
> on one (without some sort of dictate from the top) might be a hard row to hoe.

I should explain two things. It would not be compulsory for professors to
require the exclusive use of the canonical cheap scientific calculator. If
a prof wished to do so, the calculator would already be prescribed; that's
all. As it presently stands each prof is fully within his rights to limit
students to the use of a prescribed cheap calculator anyway. After all, we
already require them to buy textbooks costing over $100.

Our university science and mathematics departments are now discussing this
issue (I instigated the discussion). There will be no problem agreeing
because there are basically only two religions that have anything to say
about calculators. One of them (the RPN sect) has no candidates in the
cheap price range, so agreement should be easy.

Leigh