Calculators

Post date: Jul 9, 2011 2:31:37 PM

It seems like by mid-July the back-to-school sales start happening. Hopefully you have already purchased your textbook. I have already purchased your notebooks. You may want to think about a calculator if you don't already have one. You will probably want to have a scientific calculator on hand that can handle square roots and trig functions. If you have an older brother or sister that will let you borrow a TI- 83 Plus, that is great, and I will be happy to help you learn how to use it. But don't go out and buy a new one.

I usually have two or three of my calculators on the table when I am teaching my classes, but many students prefer to use their own. This year I intend to have three of my own graphing calculators available for use by my students during class. This will save parents from having to buy a $100 calculator and will allow my students to experience what these sophisticated instruments (TI-83 Plus or TI-84) can do. The SC Math Standards stress the use of graphing calculators, so I want to make them available to my students.

If you don't already have a scientific calculator around the house, then I would suggest either the TI-30XS, TI-30X IIS, or TI-30XA. My favorite is the first one shown below, the TI-30XS. It does a lot of the things a much more expensive graphing calculator can do and some things, like reducing radicals, that a graphing calculator won't. I have noticed that most public and private middle schools use this particular calculator. Some math classes at Greenville Tech require this calculator. I recently saw this calculator for $13.88 at the Wal-Mart on Pelham Road. Please be assured that I will do my best to help my students learn to use whichever calculator he/she brings to class, even if it is not one of the ones pictured below.

As always, contact me if you have any questions, and enjoy the rest of your summer! I look forward to seeing you on August 30.