Mathematics Weblog

Calculators

Thursday 9 June 2005 at 6:10 pm | In Articles | Post Comment

There is more emphasis these days in UK maths exams on not using calculators. This week, for example, for the first time students sat an AS exam (AS = halfway towards an A level) which didn’t allow calcuators. Many years ago when scientific calculators were first allowed questions were set that involved such large numbers that you couldn’t use a calculator directly but had to use logs.

In the US CNN.com reports that a student discovered that by pressing certain keys, they could get round the restrictions placed on them for their tests. I remember finding some years ago that statistical functions could be used on a calculator that didn’t appear to have that capabaility, provided you pressed a special button.

There’s no fooling budding mathematicians 😎