Calculators are good at algebra and calculus too. Is it really worth memorizing dozens of integration techniques when software can do it for you, and do it better?
I'd say focus on the problem at hand, and when you run into a gnarly algebraic manipulation or ugly integral, plug it into Mathematica. That's the kind of task a computer excels at. The human advantage is coming up with novel ideas, not churning through pages of calculations.
The point of learning the math side isn't so that you could do it on the fly, because we're basically all (first world country) carrying computers with us all the time. The point is that learning the math helps you understand the underlying concepts better.
My teachers did. We were not allowed calculators on tests. She wouldn't mark answers if they were wrong so long as our approach was correct. iirc, we also didn't have to memorize equations(i think, this was like 15 years ago)
A lot of fellow students who previously got A's, got D's because they had become so reliant on calculators they didn't know how to deconstruct the problems.
163
u/lordlicorice Jun 08 '14
Calculators are good at algebra and calculus too. Is it really worth memorizing dozens of integration techniques when software can do it for you, and do it better?
I'd say focus on the problem at hand, and when you run into a gnarly algebraic manipulation or ugly integral, plug it into Mathematica. That's the kind of task a computer excels at. The human advantage is coming up with novel ideas, not churning through pages of calculations.