ABOUT CALCULATORS AND HOW TO USE THEM

MY   TI-30X IIS CALCULATOR

CALCULATORS We all hear about and see them, but are they really necessary. The answer is a resounding YES!

USES Calculators have uses that most people don't think of.

They are great for checking if an answer to a problem is in fact correct. In complex math, graphing calculators are essential, not because they solve a problem but a graphing calculator lets one see the result visually.

However, one can get an idea of what a graph should look like by the exponents and number of terms.

When I was taking Finite Math, the class was told they could use any calculator you wish, but it will not help.

Q. Can a calculator solve a problem that has parentheses & exponents.

A. Yes! Even my favorite Texas Instruments TI-30X IIS calculator can only if the problem has (numbers and not letters) like X & Y. It is my only desk calculator.

THE CATCH IS: Calculators are only accurate if the numbers are entered correctly!

Even converting Imperial to Metric and back a calculator is only really good for accuracy. It is because of the easy conversion methods.

CONVERSION NUMBERS:

1. POUNDS to GRAMS:   1 POUND = ~450g

2. INCHES to MILLIMETERS: 1 INCH = ~ 25mm

3. PSI to BAR: 1 pound per SQ in = ~ 0.07bar

4. MILE to KILOMETERS: 1 MILE = ~ 1.6km

And so forth.

Metric & Imperial (a.k.a. feet & inches) measurements are often rounded to an "about" number.