Re: Calculators and calculating.


"Damian R" <theseus01@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:depplt$dns$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
>>>Can you honestly say though that even after doing this, you've never
>>>witnessed pupils keying in such things as "5 x 0 =" and "123 + 0 ="
>>
>> Seen it many times.
>>
> Even in A-level classes. Even in Further Maths groups! If I see a student
> typing such a calculation, or even something less puerile that they should
> be able to do in their head, I take their calculator or cover the screen
> until they tell me the answer.
>
> I understand from my brother (also a maths teacher) that the latest Casio
> scientific calculator can simplify surds.
>
> Damian

It's fab! (fx-83ES) I hadn't realised that about the surds, but I like the
way if at all possible it will display the answer as a fraction, (which you
can convert to a decimal if necessary), I find it veyr hard to gte some
children to realise (with or without a calculator) that a fraction is an
acceptable answer. And of course the fact that fractions on the screen look
like normal fractions, and you can enter them as such, rather than having to
use a strange symbol.

Jo


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