[AZ-Observing] Re: Oscilloscope
- From: "Richard Harshaw" <rharshaw2@xxxxxxx>
- To: <az-observing@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 12 Nov 2011 11:14:32 -0700
You know, us old dinosaurs sent 12 men to the moon and brought them back
safely, sent six more around it and brought them back safely, and so far,
the Electronic Generation has barely managed to get to the ISS.
So far, I think the adventure of trusting a slide rule wins out.
Richard Harshaw
Cave Creek, Arizona
Brilliant Sky Observatory
-----Original Message-----
From: az-observing-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:az-observing-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Dan Heim
Sent: Saturday, November 12, 2011 10:36 AM
To: az-observing@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [AZ-Observing] Re: Oscilloscope
Well, I was fine when calculators first arrived. Unfortunately, most
students have no grasp of how many digits in a result are significant
figures ... they just "trust the machine." But the newest calculators
also do symbolic computations (algebra), so now the students are losing
out on things like order of operations, complex fractions, nested
parentheses, etc. You can actually add two fractions with different
denominators and the calculator will find the common denominator in
which to express the solution.
So of course, if the battery dies, the students is dead in the water.
I'd rather be a dinosaur.
Dan Heim
On 11/12/2011 10:21 AM, Ken Sikes wrote:
> Dan,
>
> I agree with you on the fact that students in this day and age do not know
> how to choose means of just about anything. When calculators were allowed
> to be used the pencil and paper method of +, -, x, and / are no longer
> used. Many said the same when slide rules were replaced with the
calculators
> ! I guess the point is that the answer is more important than the means,
as
> it is faster and more accurate. Maybe in the future we "Dinosaurs" will
be
> remembered.
>
> Ken Sikes
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Dan Heim"<dan@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> To:<az-observing@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Saturday, November 12, 2011 9:29 AM
> Subject: [AZ-Observing] Re: Oscilloscope
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