4 ms·

> every high school already requires a $100 graphing calculator I can't help but feel this is a historical aberration, and one that is bound to correct itself

by Osmium 12y ago

> every high school already requires a $100 graphing calculator I can't help but feel this is a historical aberration, and one that is bound to correct itself eventually. The reason it's so entrenched at the moment is, I imagine, standardisation--which is why a custom raspberry pi solution would not be suitable. As an side, I'm not entirely sure why a graphing calculator is even required anyway. I never used one once in my entire school curriculum, and don't feel like I suffered for it. Being able to plot a function by hand is something of a skill in its own right because it teaches you the analytical tools to be able to learn how a function behaves, and as long as the teacher knows the correct solution there's nothing to be gained from every individual student having their own calculator.

sputknick 12y ago
> I never used one once in my entire school curriculum, and don't feel like I suffered for it. I'm glad someone else said this, because I wasn't going to admit to it. I got through 4 years of high school math and science, and four years as a CS major/math minor and I don't remember ever using anything other than the permutation/combination functions and some basic graphing. The TI-83 was much more important in getting me into programming than doing real math.
- mhurron 12y ago
  Creating programs to do the same steps over and over once I understood it was the biggest benefit I got out of my graphing calculator. However, having a larger screen with a scroll history was a close second, so even just using it as a standard scientific calculator with a large screen made it very useful to me. My high school didn't require a graphing calculator though, and most of the class didn't have one as I recall.
derekp7 12y ago
I'm actually in the same boat, I was in HS back in the 80's. But after raising 2 kids that seemed to need a new calculator for school each year (either due to a new model, or they lost the one from last year) I kind of figured making it a pocket computer that hooks up to their TV would make them "stick around" and be worth the price more. I wasn't thinking so much as turning the actual Rasp Pi into a calculator, but instead the foundation making a decent calculator that can also fill the function of the Pi (HDMI/USB/SD ports, runs Linux). Figured they would have enough visibility to make the PiCalc the next standard (or work with someone like Ti to make a PiCalc). It just seems a waste to spend so much money on what I consider junk (single-purpose calculators, and for kids who aren't into math they are useless outside of the classroom). Although as calculators, the Ti's aren't really that bad, but my preference leans to the older HPs.

by Osmium 12y ago

sputknick 12y ago

> I never used one once in my entire school curriculum, and don't feel like I suffered for it. I'm glad someone else said this, because I wasn't going to admit to it. I got through 4 years of high school math and science, and four years as a CS major/math minor and I don't remember ever using anything other than the permutation/combination functions and some basic graphing. The TI-83 was much more important in getting me into programming than doing real math.

mhurron 12y ago
Creating programs to do the same steps over and over once I understood it was the biggest benefit I got out of my graphing calculator. However, having a larger screen with a scroll history was a close second, so even just using it as a standard scientific calculator with a large screen made it very useful to me. My high school didn't require a graphing calculator though, and most of the class didn't have one as I recall.

derekp7 12y ago

I'm actually in the same boat, I was in HS back in the 80's. But after raising 2 kids that seemed to need a new calculator for school each year (either due to a new model, or they lost the one from last year) I kind of figured making it a pocket computer that hooks up to their TV would make them "stick around" and be worth the price more. I wasn't thinking so much as turning the actual Rasp Pi into a calculator, but instead the foundation making a decent calculator that can also fill the function of the Pi (HDMI/USB/SD ports, runs Linux). Figured they would have enough visibility to make the PiCalc the next standard (or work with someone like Ti to make a PiCalc). It just seems a waste to spend so much money on what I consider junk (single-purpose calculators, and for kids who aren't into math they are useless outside of the classroom). Although as calculators, the Ti's aren't really that bad, but my preference leans to the older HPs.