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Re: Would You Believe?



"Van E. Neie" wrote:

After showing that the acceleration is a = 1.98357 m/s^2, the coefficient
of friction is determined to be
mu = 0.398702
And then they get the tension in the cord:
T = 32.2819 N
I'm guessing this has all come from a physics department, or at least from
someone who is supposedly knowledgeable about physics. If this kind of
sloppiness is routine, I would sure think twice about such a service. I
guess we don't do much with significant figures anymore, and this is what
can happen.

Van, It has long been my thesis that electronic hand calculators have led not
only to students who cannot add two 2-digit numbers, or sometimes even two 1-digit
numbers, in their heads, or who cannot calculate a square root on paper, but also
to students who see nothing wrong in all answers to calculations having 6 or 8
significant digits.

What I still don't understand is why the calculator manufacturers cannot design
their machines to display the answers with the correct number of SD based on the
precision of the factors entered. It would be so simple, and it would sure save a
lot teeth gnashing.

poj
Collin County College