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From: horne-scott@cs.yale.edu (Scott Horne)
Newsgroups: sci.math,comp.sys.handhelds
Subject: Re: The use of calculators in teaching calculus
Keywords: Calculators, calculus
Message-ID: <27623@cs.yale.edu>
Date: 6 Dec 90 00:49:24 GMT
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In article <1990Dec4.153552.29699@javelin.es.com> pashdown@javelin.es.com (Pete Ashdown) writes:
<rouben@math13.math.umbc.edu writes:
<
<<B - Will the use of computer algebra systems (mathematica, maple,
<<    derive, mascsyma, mu-math, etc.) enhance the learning of calculus?
<
<Yes.  Broderbund's introductory calculus software is a good example of this.
<You get to see a visual representation of tangents, areas, derivatives, etc.

I can do this with a pen.

<Being able to "play around" with ideas to see how
<they work is extremely valuable.

So long as you're doing more than just playing.

<<C - Will the use of programmable calculators enhance the learning
<<    of calculus?
<
<Yes and no.  In my higher math classes, I tend to bang out derivatives on the
<48 rather than waste time doing them by hand.

Does it do them symbolically or by numerical approximation?

>I suppose if I were stuck on
<a desert island without my 48 and a Nazi guard threatened me to find a
<difficult derivative, I would be dead.

I can't think of any "difficult derivative[s]"--that is, unless the person to
whom they're difficult has a poor background in calculus.

>However, we all know the "square root"
<arguement as you mentioned it.  Should these tasks be designated for
<computers/calculators?  Is "hand-math" a dying breed?  In my opinion, I
<certainly hope so.  If I can do a problem quicker and more accurately on a
<calculator, I'll use the calculator.

Fine, but you should know how to do it without a calculator.  Children can
be taught to use calculators, but they won't learn anything about arithmetic
that way.  Likewise, it's fine to use a computer for integration, &c, when
you know how to do it yourself, but you won't learn anything about calculus
by typing integrals into a computer and copying out the answers.

					--Scott

-- 
Scott Horne                               ...!{harvard,cmcl2,decvax}!yale!horne
horne@cs.Yale.edu      SnailMail:  Box 7196 Yale Station, New Haven, CT   06520
203 436-1817                    Residence:  Rm 1817 Silliman College, Yale Univ
Uneasy lies the head that wears the _gao1 mao4zi_.