WTF @ School???

Duper · Post by **Duper** » Sun Aug 29, 2004 9:53 pm

I just got pwned but my daughters highschool. I have to buy a TI-83+ calculator to the tume of nearly $100!

omg!.... They gave a list nearly half a page long of ones that can't be used. Some can but can't be used later on. So basically, anyone taking math get pwned.

excuse me please... I'm going to go throw some stuff around the house.....

snoopy · Post by **snoopy** » Sun Aug 29, 2004 9:56 pm

I gots an old 83 layin around somewhere... prolly in storage- they might be pissed about the lack of a +, but if yah want me to try to drag it out of storage drop me a line.

XSabre · Post by **XSabre** » Sun Aug 29, 2004 9:59 pm

heh, yeah. I had to get one of those last year for school. Have some extra batteries handy for it too.

Gooberman · Post by **Gooberman** » Sun Aug 29, 2004 10:11 pm

TI-89's will do your freakin laundry.

MD-2389 · Post by **MD-2389** » Sun Aug 29, 2004 10:20 pm

WTF

Why do they require calculators like that? They too cheap to get a grant to buy a set for the classroom? Hell, I got through high-school with a cheap-o basic calculator just fine.

Wanting them to use fancy calculators is all fine and good, but its getting to the point where they're teaching them how to use the damn calculator and not making them learn how to actually calculate things on paper. They're turning what's supposed to be a convenience into a crutch.

Duper · Post by **Duper** » Sun Aug 29, 2004 10:31 pm

now I AM pissed .. this is for freekin basic Algebra! Advanced trig or Cal, I could understand .. but freshamn algebra??

AGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!! .. where's my paintball gun...

Viralphrame · Post by **Viralphrame** » Sun Aug 29, 2004 10:38 pm

A TI-40x IIS is all she needs for Algebra I. It's like 16 bucks at Wal-Mart Hell, I'm still using it for Geo/Triginometry. o_O

MD-2389 · Post by **MD-2389** » Sun Aug 29, 2004 10:39 pm

No idea where it is, but will this do instead?

Top Gun · Post by **Top Gun** » Sun Aug 29, 2004 10:55 pm

Duper, trust me, your daughter will get a lot of use out of this over the next few years, and into college too. I used an 83+ for four years of high school, and it's been a huge help. Think about it this way: if you spend the money now, you won't have to worry about buying another one later (just make sure she doesn't lose it

). Also, a lot of places like Office Max have it on sale for around $90 right before school starts. My school had a deal with Office Max to get an extra $5 taken off on top of that, so I just had to pay $85.

Duper · Post by **Duper** » Sun Aug 29, 2004 11:09 pm

yur right Top, it just kinda ticks me off. They cater to a lot of upper class families. course, right next door tot he school (where I live) is all low income. >:
LOL thanks MD!

The little scouting ive done so far brings staples in at the lowest @ 89 bucks. Beat WAl-Mart and others
Still lookin.

Vindicator · Post by **Vindicator** » Sun Aug 29, 2004 11:24 pm

Duper wrote:now I AM pissed .. this is for freekin basic Algebra! Advanced trig or Cal, I could understand .. but freshamn algebra??

Jebus, I went from 7th grade to the present (3rd year of college, through Calc 3) with a $12 Ti30Xa. We didnt do ANYTHING in Algebra that required a graphing calculator. They made us do all that stuff by hand.

snoopy · Post by **snoopy** » Sun Aug 29, 2004 11:25 pm

I used an 89 here in engineering college. They are handy.... have let me forget how to differentiate/integrate.

Asrale · Post by **Asrale** » Sun Aug 29, 2004 11:35 pm

My opinion on graphing calcs: absolutely UNnecessary. One of my high school teachers (Calculus 1) basically built the class around using the calculators and even supplied formulas for things like that Newton's something-or-other (can't remember off-hand, took Calc 1 a LONG time ago it seems) so we could plug numbers in to figure out answers quickly, and things of that sort. It was stupid. Everyone in that class had to have a graphing calc. I had the TI-85, most had the 82 or 83, and others some HP models.

Simple solar-powered scientific calcs do the job just fine without making you worry about the battery level.

Tricord · Post by **Tricord** » Sun Aug 29, 2004 11:50 pm

I'm with vind, we had to do everything by hand (which is quite frankly the only way to learn it).

We were allowed a calculator for simple calculations (division, root, etc..) but nothing fancy. Even for such a simple thing they imposed a particular model on us. I never bought one, so I got through highschool without using a calculator. When I really needed one, I borrowed it from my class neighbor.

AceCombat · Post by **AceCombat** » Sun Aug 29, 2004 11:53 pm

i have a Ti-83+ Silver Edition. name a good price + Shipping and its yours.

ill wipe the RAM clean and it will act like its brand new. i dont have the USB-Calc cable, it got run over by my desk chair and cut it in half.

its got some black perm marker drawing on it, just coloring certain areas to suit my unusual but creative art skeelz!!

Duper · Post by **Duper** » Mon Aug 30, 2004 1:34 am

Thanks AC, but I'm Broke.. thats why I'm torxed.

I have to agree with Tri and Vind. I did all my slg and trig by hand and charts for the trig functions. That was a big part of the understanding. Now in physics, it suxed having a solar powered calculator, espcially when we were working with concave mirrors and candles and conversion points.

We had to go to the window to do our calulations.

Birdseye · Post by **Birdseye** » Mon Aug 30, 2004 2:11 am

Ebay. Far, far cheaper.

Avder · Post by **Avder** » Mon Aug 30, 2004 2:29 am

Ive got an 86 and an 83+. The 86 is built much more for things like trig, while the 83+ has more functions related o say, statistics. The sucker was great for bell curves and sample basted statistics.

Duper · Post by **Duper** » Mon Aug 30, 2004 4:36 am

Birdseye wrote:Ebay. Far, far cheaper.

LMAO! I Found something that is actually NOT on E-bay. ...figures...

Nitrofox125 · Post by **Nitrofox125** » Mon Aug 30, 2004 6:01 am

"Back when I was in school...."

But there's really no getting around it now... tests are built expecting you to solve integrals almost immediately, whereas if you took the time to figure it all out by hand the test would take 3 times longer than the class period.

But think about it this way... when will you need to calculate integral when you don't have a calculator around? Not that often.

But these calculators can be useful for so much more than math, too. I type and spell check my papers on my calculator. I work on spreadsheets for physics labs. And of course one can indulge in games once in a while too. Everything from Pacman to Unreal Tournament.

Darktalyn1 · Post by **Darktalyn1** » Mon Aug 30, 2004 6:20 am

If you hate paying for your daughter's schooling Duper, I hope she gets a scholarship for college!

100+ dollars per book = sucks

KompresZor · Post by **KompresZor** » Mon Aug 30, 2004 6:24 am

Staples is down to $84.49 now ( $5.00 Rebate )

It sucks when schools do ★■◆● like that, you would think educators would be smater then that

DCrazy · Post by **DCrazy** » Mon Aug 30, 2004 6:28 am

Pfft! You sap, make her pay for it herself! My parents made me pay for my 83+ at the beginning of freshman year. And yes, it was a requirement. And I wasn't even allowed to use it in freshman or sophomore math classes. I did use it in sophomore chem, but I didn't really start using it for math until junior year (which is also when I took physics).

Topher · Post by **Topher** » Mon Aug 30, 2004 8:41 am

"Back in my day..." we used slide rules and compasses and had to get in a carrage to go anywhere.

You're behind the times. There is no point impeding somebody when the technology is available for them to advance. That's like saying "When I grew up, we had to write TCP/IP packets by hand". It's not that you're learning less with the calculator, but you are spending less time on topics so you can move on to other things. I started in Differential Equations when I entered college.

TI-83: Good calculator, will last you through college if you like, but not that great for the technically inclined. If you're taking math to just get through it, this is the perfect calculator.

TI-86: If you learn how to use it, it's worth it's weight in gold. The numerical solver is your savior, it is your best friend and it is your momma's tit rolled all up into one. Aside from that it also does conversions which make physics/chemistry and breeze.

TI 89: Yes, it will do your laundry. It will also do most symbolic calculations which means calculus teachers may not let you use it on tests. I would recommend one once you get into college, and only in high school if you have a backup calculator to take tests with (I had an 86 and an 89).

TI 92: Same as the 89, just with the keyboard, faster, more ram, bigger screen. Can't be used on the SATs, ACTs or practically any other test. Not really worth it, IMO.

AceCombat · Post by **AceCombat** » Mon Aug 30, 2004 9:50 am

Duper wrote:Thanks AC, but I'm Broke.. thats why I'm torxed.

name a price you can afford. im not all into making people pay face value. im the kind of person who helps someone in need

Stryker · Post by **Stryker** » Mon Aug 30, 2004 10:59 am

I went through algebra 1/2 and everything lower by hand. No calculator. I went through algebra 1 and 2 using a Casio fx-450 solar cell-powered scientific pocket calculator. I'm still using that calculator today, and I'm doing advanced math now. Doubtless I'll need a heavier calculator somewhere down the line, but when it comes to that, I still won't be using a $100 calculator. I'll be using my dad's graphing calc that he had as a kid.

This kinda thing kinda stops you from wondering why schools keep crying for money.

Top Gun · Post by **Top Gun** » Mon Aug 30, 2004 11:40 am

My opinion is, why take the time to do something longhand when a calculator can make it faster? If you understand the concept and know how to do it by hand if necessary, then there's no real harm in using a calculator to speed the process.

Duper · Post by **Duper** » Mon Aug 30, 2004 1:07 pm

Darktalyn1 wrote:If you hate paying for your daughter's schooling Duper, I hope she gets a scholarship for college!

100+ dollars per book = sucks

Yea true, but I EXPECT that in college, not high School. An advanced Calculator I have no problems with but they very specifically wanted this one. anyways. ... paying fo rhigher education is not going to be possible if things continue as they are now.

KompresZor wrote:Staples is down to $84.49 now ( $5.00 Rebate )

It sucks when schools do **** like that, you would think educators would be smater then that

Yea, I saw that. Thanks!

MD-2389 · Post by **MD-2389** » Mon Aug 30, 2004 1:08 pm

Top Gun wrote:My opinion is, why take the time to do something longhand when a calculator can make it faster? If you understand the concept and know how to do it by hand if necessary, then there's no real harm in using a calculator to speed the process.

Thats all fine and good, but let me remind you of an old addage. "If you don't use it, you loose it."

Topher · Post by **Topher** » Mon Aug 30, 2004 1:11 pm

Duper wrote:Yea true, but I EXPECT that in college, not high School. An advanced Calculator I have no problems with but they very specifically wanted this one. anyways. ... paying fo rhigher education is not going to be possible if things continue as they are now.

Well it's a cost you pay now or it's a cost you pay later in college. Either way it's the state of education that depends upon the technology. However, going through highschool math without at least a TI-83 is going put you at a disadvantage, practically guarenteed. It would be like going to college without a computer or art class with paint, but not brushes. Sure you can do it, but it's not going to be pretty.

Duper · Post by **Duper** » Mon Aug 30, 2004 1:26 pm

Topher wrote: Well it's a cost you pay now or it's a cost you pay later in college. Either way it's the state of education that depends upon the technology. However, going through highschool math without at least a TI-83 is going put you at a disadvantage, practically guarenteed. It would be like going to college without a computer or art class with paint, but not brushes. Sure you can do it, but it's not going to be pretty.

Dude, she's starting the 9th grade, She still needs to learn algbra basics. They're a heck of a long ways away from plotting Quadratics. I did this all by hand back in 83 with little problem. It took time, but teachers never seemed overconcered with dumping a load of homework on us.

Dedman · Post by **Dedman** » Mon Aug 30, 2004 1:37 pm

MD-2389 wrote:No idea where it is, but will this do instead?

What the hell is that thing?

MD-2389 · Post by **MD-2389** » Mon Aug 30, 2004 1:41 pm

That would be the "main gun" on Talyn. (Farscape)

Topher · Post by **Topher** » Mon Aug 30, 2004 2:06 pm

Duper wrote:Dude, she's starting the 9th grade, She still needs to learn algbra basics. They're a heck of a long ways away from plotting Quadratics. I did this all by hand back in 83 with little problem. It took time, but teachers never seemed overconcered with dumping a load of homework on us.

It depends which class she's starting in. More likely than not she'll need it for a couple things:

Matrices
Finding 0's of a function by "tracing" the graph
Point fitting regression

They'll do matrices by hand anyway, but the calculator is good for checking your work. The other two are more likely to break your hand off before they become useful. Maybe in the 1800's it was necessary to do it by hand, but now computers can do it much faster and are accurate each time.

Duper · Post by **Duper** » Mon Aug 30, 2004 2:08 pm

Topher wrote: Maybe in the 1800's it was necessary to do it by hand, but now computers can do it much faster and are accurate each time.

Wasn't 1983 in the 1800's???

Topher · Post by **Topher** » Mon Aug 30, 2004 2:13 pm

Duper wrote:
Topher wrote: Maybe in the 1800's it was necessary to do it by hand, but now computers can do it much faster and are accurate each time.

Wasn't 1983 in the 1800's???

Could've fooled me.

Dedman · Post by **Dedman** » Mon Aug 30, 2004 2:40 pm

MD-2389 wrote:That would be the "main gun" on Talyn. (Farscape)

Never played it. Hence the ignorance. Thanks for clearing it up.

Top Wop · Post by **Top Wop** » Mon Aug 30, 2004 2:44 pm

Im kinda shocked they ask you to get a 100 dollar calculator for your kid. In my high school, they rarely need such calculators, proably only in the uppper classes. You only learned to do stuff by hand and were not allowed to use except simple calculators.

Top Gun · Post by **Top Gun** » Mon Aug 30, 2004 3:43 pm

Heck, the 83+ is almost required for the SAT and for AP tests such as Calculus and Physics. I used it on a daily basis during all 4 years of high school; in fact, it was almost indispensible

.

DCrazy · Post by **DCrazy** » Mon Aug 30, 2004 3:53 pm

Yet they didn't let me use a computer for the Computer Science AP.

/scored a 5/5