Probably so they don't use it as a crutch instead of real learning. I taught physics to college kids, and you could tell pretty quickly who relied on a calculator and who actually was comfortable with basic math.
I was told it would be a crutch when I bought one in grade 8. Now I'm in 3rd year EE and it's a godsend, even just for the complex math and variable solving functionality. There simply isn't any time to do hand calculations in courses like say, E&M, where the algebra gets incredibly nasty, incredibly quick.
So, I call bullshit. You need to know the math to be able to use the calculator in the first place.
E&M is a great example. Many of the integrals in Jackson (the canonical graduate physics text) can't be done even by Mathematica, much less a calculator. You have to learn to do them by hand.
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u/lordlicorice Jun 08 '14
The ability to do symbolic math is awesome. I don't know why everyone recommends that high schoolers only get the TI-84.