calculators not allowed

sammy2 · 07-13-2008, 12:23 PM

Hi, I am just trying to prepare myself and am just asking for imput. I have taken AP Chem and Honors Cal. in high school . Had to work at it , but did ok. (B+ range). I am taking the same courses again this year as a freshman for I am leaning to the Bio sciences. I was told at the orienatation that calculators are not allowed by both professors. I have always used a calculator in every math class since starting school. Please tell me if I am screwed or not? Will I find freshman Chem and Cal much harder than AP or Honors? same goes for freshman Bio. ?

younghoss · 07-13-2008, 12:45 PM

I wouldn't say screwed, but I would say if you haven't learned to really do math at your age, you may be in for quite a challenge. If you can do the math, but it's just a matter of your not solving problems as quickly as with calculators, then realize all the other students are in the same boat.

BCEagle91 · 07-13-2008, 01:21 PM

Do a little background checking on the courses - look around the web to see if there's are course websites with assignments, exams, readings, etc. and then try out a few problems to see what kind of shape you're in.

etselec · 07-13-2008, 02:11 PM

Many colleges will have a math placement test, which you take to figure out the appropriate level for you to start in. Does your college have anything like that?

If not, perhaps you could find out if your college has a math help center, and ask for advice and/or tutoring, if you find you need it.

emeraldkity4 · 07-13-2008, 02:42 PM

I agree that students should know the mechanics of computation, but I would also wonder at the reasoning for not allowing calculators.

Being the parent of kids who have disabilities that affect their skill with lower level math, it would take them much longer to perform the tasks without a calculator ( much much longer) and because of transposition of numbers, it is likely the calculations would be inaccurate as well.

This doesn't affect their ability to understand and do well in subjects that require higher level thinking skills- my oldest took both organic chemistry and calculus at Reed college and was a biology major- but don't ask her to subtract 3 digit numbers

However- if you don't have a disability and the profs just want to be sure that every one knows how to do the math, then I would agree that you will be in same boat as other students, and have to allow for more time, until your speed improves.

RacinReaver · 07-13-2008, 02:50 PM

I imagine most of your tests won't be very heavy computationally, and they're doing it to help curtail cheating during tests. Most of my tests had math problems that were largely symbolic, so a calculator would have just been extra clutter on the test. That actually gets to be kinda nice when you're dealing with logs and exponents, as they can be pretty tough to do without some form of aid, and leaving everything in symbols is always a much nicer answer.

Neonzeus · 07-13-2008, 03:04 PM

I checked with one of my kids, who just finished freshman yr with As in Calc I and Cal II, and an A in his Chem class too. He said that you probably know more than you think, since you have to input formulas even to use the calculator.

He wasn't surprised that your professors are taking calculators away in a freshman classes (particularly if they're weed out classes to find out who can really do the work for science and math majors). He has had some "no calculator" tests and quizzes. This kid understands your concern, since a lot of kids in his classes relied on calculators really heavily. (He was so disorganized in middle and high school that he often left his calculator home, so he had been forced to learn to work without a calculator.) This kid pointed out that the PCAT test does not allow calculators for future pharmacy students.

My kid thinks that if you got B+ in AP math you are probably a lot better in math than you realize. He recommended that you review for these classes as much as possible over the rest of the summer. With a little extra help or tutoring, you will be able to give up the calculator crutch.

paying3tuitions · 07-13-2008, 03:53 PM

What seemed to take years to learn in 4th grade (multiplication and division) you might be able to master now in a matter of weeks. Try going to a teachers store or online, take a simple review of "Orders and Operations" around Grades 3-6 with summer workbook exercises. Maybe by now you'll pick it up quickly.

kenf1234 · 07-13-2008, 04:25 PM

I wouldn't worry about it. Don't use a calculator on your homework. That will be enough preparation.

In any case, when doing a problem on an exam, make explicit your steps. Show what you would have entered into the calculator, if you had one. Then if your calculation is in error, it will be clear that your error is one of calculation, not a conceptual one.

In general, college courses are not testing long division skills. I seriously wouldn't be concerned.

TchaikovskyPiano · 07-13-2008, 05:30 PM

Professors who don't allow calculators are often just trying to see if you're capable of mathematical reasoning and whether you truly understand something. Test questions will often involve symbolic manipulations rather than computations, and even if you're asked for a numerical answer, you should be able to get most of the credit simply by leaving your answer in terms of variables.

coolweather · 07-13-2008, 05:43 PM

In chemistry problems, a lot of times you need to simplify the expression to get the answer instead of using the calculator. Using the calculator to expand the numeric computation will slow you down in some cases.

ellemenope · 07-14-2008, 09:43 AM

There are some calculators that can do calculus, which is why I am sure that your professor may choose not to allow calculators in Calc 1, especially if the questions are multiple choice. I don't see the point in not allowing calculators in chemistry, though. Most of the work in chemistry is add/subtract/multiply/divide, with some logarithms thrown in.

BCEagle91 · 07-14-2008, 09:55 AM

Devices are getting more problematic. Theoretically, you could use an iPhone to connect to a server running Mathematica which will do symbolic integration and differentiation for you. It will also provide you with arbitrary numerical position or keep things in fractional format if you want. Wolfram has a website that does symbolic integration which is publicly accessible.

Our son has a TI-83 (maybe Plus) and an HP-48 GX. I've offered him my HP-67 if he wants it for a conversation piece in class. I bought it in the 1970s. It has a seven-segment LED display (works in the dark), is programmable and has a magnetic card reader and writer to store programs and save programs.

barrons · 07-14-2008, 11:18 AM

Yes, many pocket calculators today are more capable than PC's from a few generations ago. Just too hard to police--profs don't want to play cop/detective.

Kayleigh_9109 · 07-14-2008, 12:17 PM

I've had No Calculator tests in High School (pre-calc)... It was a scary concept, but.. It really wasn't that bad. Because seriously, when it came to when he wouldn't let us use Calculators it wasn't about adding/subtracting/multiplying/dividing/or anything of the sort. It was about graphing or converting something or Trig Functions, or anything other than the basic uses of a Calculator. We weren't allowed to use Calcs because we could graph on there and then cheat.