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Calculators are generally useless in Calculus. Or at least they should be. Calculus is a process, and normally you are graded on that process, not on the answer

Calculators are generally useless in Calculus. Or at least they should be. Calculus is a process, and normally you are graded on that process, not on the answer. We were allowed calculators too, but the problems were designed that anyone even mildly good at mental math didn't need them. In theory you could teach all of calculus without ever even using numbers (perhaps except 0).

cbsks 5y ago
It's been a while since I took calculus, but I seem to remember that a TI-89 calculator could show its steps when solving a problem.
- voxic11 5y ago
  Yeah I also had a TI-89 and you could directly type in most calc problem and get a great step by step answer. The symbolic solver on that thing was great.
- jdmichal 5y ago
  Yep. We all had either TI-89 or -92. I used it to check myself after doing practice problems.
titanomachy 5y ago
I think you need more numbers than that. At least 1, pi, and e. Definitely don’t need any numbers bigger than 4.
astura 5y ago
>Calculators are generally useless in Calculus. Or at least they should be. Calculus is a process, and normally you are graded on that process, not on the answer. Yes. It's been so long since I took calculus but that's the reason why we weren't allowed calculators in my Calculus class. All the formulas needed for the test were also provided (as we weren't being graded on our memorization skills either) My professor also said don't bother doing simple arithmetic just to simplify an answer - leave it at 12/56 or whatever. Turns out, it was a really, really great system.
jimbokun 5y ago
> Calculators are generally useless in Calculus. Or at least they should be. Mathematica, on the other hand...
- Teknoman117 5y ago
  Wolfram Alpha and Mathematica got me through Calculus. I paid for an account because I absolutely loved the "show step by step process" feature so you could actually learn how and why you were getting various results.
shadilay 5y ago
In calculus a calculator can often give you the answer but you only get credit for showing the steps which the calculator can't help you with.
- charcircuit 5y ago
  Just get or a program a calculator that shows steps then.

cbsks 5y ago

It's been a while since I took calculus, but I seem to remember that a TI-89 calculator could show its steps when solving a problem.

voxic11 5y ago
Yeah I also had a TI-89 and you could directly type in most calc problem and get a great step by step answer. The symbolic solver on that thing was great.
jdmichal 5y ago
Yep. We all had either TI-89 or -92. I used it to check myself after doing practice problems.

titanomachy 5y ago

I think you need more numbers than that. At least 1, pi, and e. Definitely don’t need any numbers bigger than 4.

astura 5y ago

>Calculators are generally useless in Calculus. Or at least they should be. Calculus is a process, and normally you are graded on that process, not on the answer. Yes. It's been so long since I took calculus but that's the reason why we weren't allowed calculators in my Calculus class. All the formulas needed for the test were also provided (as we weren't being graded on our memorization skills either) My professor also said don't bother doing simple arithmetic just to simplify an answer - leave it at 12/56 or whatever. Turns out, it was a really, really great system.

jimbokun 5y ago

> Calculators are generally useless in Calculus. Or at least they should be. Mathematica, on the other hand...

Teknoman117 5y ago
Wolfram Alpha and Mathematica got me through Calculus. I paid for an account because I absolutely loved the "show step by step process" feature so you could actually learn how and why you were getting various results.

shadilay 5y ago

In calculus a calculator can often give you the answer but you only get credit for showing the steps which the calculator can't help you with.

charcircuit 5y ago
Just get or a program a calculator that shows steps then.