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MAth Department
Math
Department Calculator Policy
At least
half of the testing in every course (except AP Statistics) will
be no-calculator work. When you are allowed a calculator,
it is important that you adhere to your teacher’s rules regarding
its use. In particular:
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Make sure that you
know in advance of every test what the ruling will be as regards
the storage of helpful programs and other helpful information
on your calculator. You will need to delete any information
that you are not allowed, as having it stored in your calculator
during the test will be regarded as cheating. (If you
want to save information from your calculator on your computer,
you can do so by downloading the TI Graphlink software from http://education.ti.com/product/accessory/link/down/linkwin.html and
borrowing the relevant cord from a math teacher.)
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Make sure that you
know (again, well in advance of the test) what your teacher
is going to allow as regards the use of numerical methods for
the solution of equations. Many students do not know what this
means, so we will explain it here by means of an example: Suppose
you are asked to solve the equation . An analytical solution
is to say that , so , and to use your calculator to say
that to three decimal places. A numerical solution
is to use one of the features on your calculator such as the “Solve” button,
the “solve( ” function, the “EZ Solve” program,
or the “2nd Calc” menu in graphing to
solve the equation. All of these numerical devices do essentially
the same thing: they use an advanced guess-and-check method to
zero-in on the answer. Unless you are taking AP Calculus,
it is generally safe to assume that your teacher requires an analytical solution
unless you have been told otherwise.
Use of the TI-89, TI-92 or any other system that does algebra and calculus
for you is not allowed in any part of Brunswick math. The
TI-89 is allowed in AP Calculus and Statistics examinations.
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