Re: Why are TI Calcs so inferior?


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Re: Why are TI Calcs so inferior?



Mark -- Very Good Post, I (of course) agree whole-heartedly.


Person who wrote the "Churning Butter Post" -- I'm afraid that your
Calculus class IS Taught with a Ti-graphing-calculator because anyone
who compares butter churning, which is a _Process_ to an abstract set of
ideas, is being Taught A Process.


Everyone knows that:


y(x) = x^n
y'(x) = n * x^(n - 1)




Something my ti-92 can symbolically show me.  I'm sure you could even
program it into a ti8x.  Now, can any of you soft-minded HS students
PROVE it?  Qualitativly and Quantitativly?


OR is it simply a PROCESS which you have come to memorize?


Can you tell me what e is withouth thinking about it?


How about the logarithm?


Sadly, a lot of _good_ students I know, who have done well on AP exams
(4s and 5s), don't have this drilled into their head like they have 6*6.
 Why is that?  Because they learned it ONCE in Algebra, or precalc, or
whatever, and ever since then they have been using their calculators.


Are graphing calculators nice?  Sure, they can show a few things which
would be very hard to show w/ just chalk.  But they don't teach you
calculus, they teach you how to plug equations in.


We don't need any more hands-on-training in school folks.  People have
to learn to use their Brains.  It's _FAR_ More usefull.


Wish you all the best
-nick


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