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[Phys-L] Re: Calculators a Distraction?



On Tue, 08 Feb 2005 09:04:28 -0600 "RAUBER, JOEL"
<Joel.Rauber@SDSTATE.EDU> writes:
|
| On Sun, 06 Feb 2005 13:34:20 -0600 "RAUBER, JOEL"
| <Joel.Rauber@SDSTATE.EDU> writes:
| > ........... I think today's students can be expected to find
the
| square root of 9 or 16 in their head. And to take 8 and
| divide by 2 in their head.
|
| *** But students do not calculate such things "in their head"
| . No calculation is necessary in such cases. It is merely a
| matter of memory.
|

Isn't all calculation ultimately reduced to memorized procedures?

*** I beg to differ. Students can memorize the value of the square roots
of 9 or 16. They can also memorize the procedure for finding the square
roots of numbers such as 1483 and 2496. However, memorizing a value is
not the same as memorizi ng a procedure and then using the procedure to
calculatge a value.

Herb




Herb Gottlieb from New York City
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