

QAMA - The calculator that makes you think - shacharz
http://theinstitute.ieee.org/technology-focus/technology-topic/educational-calculator-makes-students-think

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shacharz
Do you think that knowing arithmetic is that important?

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ColinWright
The guys at work think I have superpowers because I can do rough calculations
in my head without resorting to a calculator. In the middle of intense
discussions about systems architecture it's a real bonus to be able to get the
numbers quickly and without suspending the discussion in order to punch things
into a calculator.

They say that discussions go faster and are more free-flowing and productive
because they don't have to stop and start constantly.

Of course, I work in an engineering-heavy field, so my experience won't be
typical. Even so, your question carries overtones of the "when am I ever going
to use this?" question that causes math teachers all over the world to despair
of ever getting people to understand that it's not about the facts, it's about
the ability to think.

Being able to do mental arithmetic effectively is one aspect of being able to
break down problems into small parts, and retain some pieces while working on
others. The skills involved are clearly related to those required in
programming - seeing more than one way to do things, working through long
chains of reasoning, combining tiny operations into large and complex
calculations. It's plausible that practising those skills in small, concrete
settings such as arithmetic can help foster the abilities required in larger
and more abstract settings such as math and programming.

You'll never need trig if all you ever do is flip burgers, but I use it all
the time in computing margins of error in safety critical operation of 30,000
tonne tankers and nuclear submarines. There is a middle ground.

But it's not really about the tools being used to learn, it's about the skills
you acquire on the way.

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shacharz
I didn't mean to have an overtone. and I agree that practicing calculation may
develop memory and reasoning. But so does programming, playing certain
computer games and so on. But I still wonder if being able to do calculations
is a required skill.

