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I remember feeling pretty awesome because my TI-89 could solve most integrals and even some differential equations. Towards the end of my education, Wolfram Al
by trendia 10y ago
I remember feeling pretty awesome because my TI-89 could solve most integrals and even some differential equations.
Towards the end of my education, Wolfram Alpha came out and would not only solve those equations, but also show step-by-step solutions. Although the solver could be used for cheating, I think it could also be beneficial. Previously, a student who reached a point where they couldn't understand a problem would have trouble finding the right information to understand the solution (e.g. in Diff EQ there are many "tricks" that are necessary to understand in order to solve an equation and which are not immediately obvious). However, with Wolfram Alpha and the like, the student can work through that problem and understand how to solve it.
- cmrx64 10y agoSo much this! I had a really time learning calculus, due to these "tricks". Wolfram Alpha's step-by-steps helped me so much. I could have went and harassed a TA, and I still did that occasionally, but I could largely do it on my own with the computer's help.
- mighty_atomic_c 10y agoMathematica was my tool of choice. I could plot, Manipulate and visualize things. That was very powerful for learning quickly and getting a "feel" for things. The ability to check if my work was equivalent to the initial and final equations meant I could catch mistakes when I was stumped and trace through my work. I could see where I messed up. When practicing for exams, I would make mental notes of common errors or properties I forgot, and write a portion of "misc idiot lapses" on part of my crib sheet.