Question for the young'uns - calculators in school?

[Metalfan]

I didn't get to use a calculator until I got to college. But then, I'm an old fart like SA. The thing about calculators is the "notation" that they use. The most common one is called "Reverse Polish Notation" and no, that ain't a fucking joke. HP's are actually based around this method...so much so, that you have to enter your calculations in reverse polish. Anyone using an HP knows what I mean. I think other calculators do this translation for you after you enter the keystrokes.

The calculator I use now has a 1.1GHz processor and 256Mb of RAM :lol:

[Sloatsburgh]

hp12 over here. I guess that since we are not teaching our children basic math skills, then the Chinese will take over the world. how can you prove if what was calculated is correct? How can you debug a program or prove what it is doing is correct unless you know what you want it to do? We are going to become a mindless race of George Jetsom button pushers and the Chins are going to be creating the programs that will end up turning the American race into a bunch of batteries.

But at least we will have the woman in the red dress.

[Brokenjaw]

end up turning the American race into a bunch of batteries.

I want to be Neo!!

I have sat here with SA's son many a night doing math homework with him. One night, we both sat with her son and showed him how to do the work because he was not understanding how to do it.I don't exactly remember what it was but I do know that after we got done he understood it.The next day he came home from scholl telling us that his teacher said that we are not his teacher and that he has to do the work the way she showed him how to do it. I say fuck that, if you come to the right answer and you take 2 or 3 more or less steps then the way the teacher showed you, then there should not be a problem.

As far as using a calculator, I was not alowed to use one until I was in college prep Algerbra 2 my sophmore year. Hell even in my accounting class we were told to do evrything by hand and then check our work with the calculator.

[Skitchr4u]

Corner Diner:
Tuna special - $4.89
Beef Sandwich - $6.75
Sodas - $2.25
Subtotal $13.89
4% tax $0.56
Total $14.45

Follow these keystrokes slowly and watch your display:
(clear) 4.89 + 6.75 + 2.25 x 4 % + = 14.4456


I just entered this into my adding machine here at my office, and came up with $.20
I know that isn't the answer they are looking for, but pushing buttons in order got me there. I can't believe that they are teaching kids only with a calculator. I can't remember when I was allowed to use a calculator, but I do know that I understood how to do the work well before I could use a calc in school...

[SYNTuesday]

Hmmph. Ya, teaching keystrokes is stupid. A stupid calculator will give you just the tax that goes on top. A scientific calculator will give you $11.73 (4% of the last item, on top of the first two). Etc. Etc.

Metalfan, what do you mean most calculators use RPN? If we're talking about the machine code on the imbedded system, sure, it probably does because it has the opcodes and the values on a stack, popping and pushing results in order. However, every calculator still has a scheme that changes your input into RPN form. A cheapo calculator will turn "5+3 x 2" into 2 3 5 + x, and a scientific calculator will internally turn it into 5 3 2 x +.

But HP calculators, you actually enter it in RPN notation. Everyone else, and I mean EVERYONE uses infix notation to ENTER the numbers. And really, that's all we care about. Do you really care how the elevator controller "sees" it when you press your floor?

As far as school, ya I mean, I might understand not making the kiddies do all the decimal multiplication. MIGHT. In Jr. High, I was doing chemistry calculations that involved multiplying two five digit numbers, and I eventally trained myself to do them so Damn fast that I wasn't even stopping to think,... it was just flowing. If everyone did that, maybe we'd win a Math Olympiad once in a while. :-( Definitely, though, when the process is a lot more important than the numbers, knock yourself out. I have rarely gotten to use them on tests since trig.

Good luck with the note, Angel.

[OAS]

Calculator? I used an abacus. The calculator was the latest in technology after I was out of elementry school. :crackhead:

[Sweet Angel]

Well, I got a note back from the teacher saying that they are taught the "old fashioned" way (she quoted me), but that they are also required to learn how to do it on the calculator. What she didn't explain to me was why my son has no clue how to do it manually.

She also was lovely enough to tell me exactly what calculator they use in school (TI-108), and acknolwedge that different calculators perform differently, therefore giving different answers. Soooo, I looked for the TI-108 in every office supply catalog at work and then went to Eckerd and RiteAid afterwards. Aparently this calculator is only available to educators. I ended up getting a cheap calculator and luckily, it seems to work the way she wants it to.

I still think they should do it manually and be required to show their work...but maybe I'm just resistant to change.

Man, I can't wait for my parent/teacher conference.

[The Jays]

...is this a public or private school?..

[The Painter]

Follow these key strokes; 71077345 Enter this number into your calculator. Now turn your calculator upside down. You will see the reason for the Iraq war.

[Metalfan]

SYNT said:

But HP calculators, you actually enter it in RPN notation.

I said:

HP's are actually based around this method...so much so, that you have to enter your calculations in reverse polish.

SYNT said:

However, every calculator still has a scheme that changes your input into RPN form. A cheapo calculator will turn "5+3 x 2" into 2 3 5 + x, and a scientific calculator will internally turn it into 5 3 2 x +.

and this:

Everyone else, and I mean EVERYONE uses infix notation to ENTER the numbers.

I said:

I think other calculators do this translation for you after you enter the keystrokes.

Hmmmmmmmm....seems oddly similar to me, except for the fact that I could not remember that it was called INFIX notation. I took this class a year ago, I'm expect to remember every detail? Sheesh :banana:

[FAST FREDDY]

4.89 + 6.75 + 2.25 x 4 % + = 14.4456

I used a pencil and ended up with 527.



No calcs in my schooling until Junior year.


mokey:

[Metalfan]

I always come up with 666....... :burnfucker:

[Sweet Angel]

...is this a public or private school?..

Public -- and supposedly a very good school system.

[Metalfan]

Is the teacher new to the district, or have they been there for quite some time?

[Brokenjaw]

Is the teacher new to the district, or have they been there for quite some time?

She has been there for some time now. The thing is,evry 6th grade class is learning this, all have the same cariculum(sp???). The good news is, the teacher also said they had a test yesterday on word problems on this very subject and he got 100/A so thats a good sign. I just hope when his report card comes out in a few weeks he does not get below a C, if that happens, I will not have anyone to play play station with. :clueless:

[QuickStop]

in 7th grade, we needed to get a scientific calculator, but still needed to show all work.
starting in 8th grade (which was math A for me), we needed to get a graphing calculator and show work only if it was asked of us on tests. same in 9th (math AB) and 10th(math B)

the only thing that i can do on my calculator that i cant do on paper is finding the sine or cosine of a number because they dont teach us how to.

I just play games all period anyway. Asteroids, tetris, jezzball, falldown. good times

[fbd]

Asteroids, tetris, jezzball, falldown. good times

dude, if you have an 83 and an internet cable, get pimpquest and drugwar. great games

and i'm the super ultra grand master universal tetris champion, reigning since late sophmore year

[Hybrid]

you're too cool fbd. really. :-p

[fbd]

i know

[HedCold]

how many lines can you get?