[nfbcs] FW: Scientific Calculator
Nicole B. Torcolini at Home
ntorcolini at wavecable.com
Wed Jun 27 23:13:42 UTC 2012
Is using a computer based calculator an option? I stopped using a hand held
calculator and went to computer based solutions starting my senior year of
high school.
----- Original Message -----
From: "David W Bundy" <bundy at pobox.com>
To: <nfbcs at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, June 27, 2012 4:02 PM
Subject: [nfbcs] FW: Scientific Calculator
I wonder if any of you have any suggestions re the below situation. She is
using the Orion TI35. (I have removed names from the original e-mail to
preserve confidentiality)
From: ****Sent: Tuesday, June 26, 2012 5:09 PM
Subject: FW: Scientific Calculator
I need to inform you that ****’s math instructor, ****, has made a
disturbing discovery. ****’s talking scientific calculator does not compute
correctly (see email below). I have a different brand of talking scientific
calculator in my office, and unfortunately, it has the same limitation.
This is completely unfair and unfortunate for ****.
The error in computing caused ****to get many of her homework and test
problems wrong, even though she may have entered the information into the
calculator correctly (in the format that is taught and is standardly used).
We would like to correct this problem as soon as possible.
I am requesting that you investigate other calculator options that would
work for **** in an educational setting; this would be one that reads
parentheses as multiplication.
I would be glad to discuss this further if you would like.
Thank you for your attention to this!
Sally Herlong, M.Ed.
Department Manager
Special Resources/Disability Services
York Technical College
452 S. Anderson Rd., Rock Hill, SC 29730
Tel: 803.325.2896 | Fax: 803.325.2897
The information transmitted via this email is intended only for the
addressee and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. Any
interception, review, retransmission, dissemination, or taking of any action
upon this information by persons or entities other than the intended is
strictly prohibited. If you receive this communication in error, please
contact us at 803.981.7111, and delete the communication from any computer
or network system.
From: Leah Hollingsworth
Sent: Tuesday, June 26, 2012 10:52 AM
To: Sally Herlong
Subject: Scientific Calculator
Sally,
As we discussed, Angie’s scientific calculator is not reading parentheses as
multiplication. For a basic compounding interest problem, I would enter in
“12000(1+.09)^7” into my TI 84. (See the screen shot below.)
Screenshot of correct processing of a scientific calculator. It reads: 12000
(1+.09) raised to the 7th power = 21,936.46945.
TI 84 calculator screenshot 1
However, when I entered it into Angie’s calculator, using the same notation
of “12000(1+.09)^7”, my answer was 1.828039121,which is (1+.09)^7. It is not
reading the parentheses as multiplication. I then attempted the problem
again, however pressing Enter twice, to see if that would take into account
the multiplication of 12000 out front and it didn’t. The answer it gave me
was 68.21790833, which is 1.828039121 raised to the 7th power.
I asked two colleagues whether they thought a “scientific” calculator should
be reading parentheses as multiplication and they both agreed. Even basic
calculators are able to read parentheses as multiplication.
Please let me know if you need any more information from me or if I can do
anything else to help.
Thanks
Leah
Leah Hollingsworth
Instructor
Mathematics
York Technical College
452 S. Anderson Rd., Rock Hill, SC 29730
Tel: 803.981.7720 | Fax: 803.981.7216
The information transmitted via this email is intended only for the
addressee and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. Any
interception, review, retransmission, dissemination, or taking of any action
upon this information by persons or entities other than the intended is
strictly prohibited. If you receive this communication in error, please
contact us at 803.981.7111, and delete the communication from any computer
or network system.
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