Do you use calculator's?

Superman · Fleet Admiral Joined: 06 Dec 2003 Posts: 10220

I was reading something in the newspaper today about calculator's and how much people use them. I wondered if people here used them more than they should or not at all.

Personally, I choose not to. We never used calculator's when I was at school. We were expected to do arithmetic in our heads or on paper and I think that was a much better way of doing things.

When I budget for the month, for bills, food and luxuries, I tend to do it mostly on paper, or in my head. I think it's better to do that, to keep the old grey matter going.

Calculator's have their uses. But I do think people should try and keep the mind active by doing sums in their head or on paper, at least every now and again.

Any thoughts, folks? If you agree or disagree, please say why. Please elaborate on your answers.

Theresa · **Mon Jul 25, 2005 10:37 am**

I use them for paperwork at work, but that's about it.

Leo Wyatt · **Mon Jul 25, 2005 10:42 am**

I got to use one. I can not do certain math problems without it.

Superman · Fleet Admiral Joined: 06 Dec 2003 Posts: 10220

Otter · **Mon Jul 25, 2005 10:44 am**

yeah sumetimes, if my brain locks up.

webtaz99 · **Mon Jul 25, 2005 12:22 pm**

I use one all the time, but usually it's the one in Windows.

AndrewBullock · **Mon Jul 25, 2005 12:26 pm**

Well, of course I use one

Don't forget that even the greatest minds out there need one from time to time.

Would like to clarify that; I am not talking about my self when I said "greatest minds."

Starbuck · **Mon Jul 25, 2005 1:24 pm**

Well, my TI-84 Plus Silver Edition is my friend, but only on math tests. During regular math there's no need, really.

Seven of Nine · **Mon Jul 25, 2005 1:32 pm**

Depends how lazy I'm feeling

I use a calculator when going shopping (horrible pennies!) to make sure we don't overspend, and sometimes for pretty complex equations, but mostly it's head or paper.

Superman · Fleet Admiral Joined: 06 Dec 2003 Posts: 10220

Don't forget, folks, that the brain can be a good calculator, some of the time.

Starbuck · **Mon Jul 25, 2005 1:41 pm**

Yeah, I find math to be kind of easy, but there will be times, where I'll get into my "zone" and I'll start to make stupid little mistakes.

Superman · Fleet Admiral Joined: 06 Dec 2003 Posts: 10220

Of course, it can be difficult. I was going to calculate how much of OUR money politicians waste, but the number was so high, I had to give up. I think it was around a billion or two.

zero · **Mon Jul 25, 2005 2:25 pm**

I've learned the hard way. I try not to use them, but then I forget what steps I had already done and theeeeeen, it turns into a huge mess so I have to start over and it takes me forever!! So yes, I use a calculator!

jonathan95 · **Mon Jul 25, 2005 4:56 pm**

since I am discalculess (math's dislexia)

I cannot do sums in my head and find it hard to do anything other than simple adding on a calculator,

but yes I depend on calculators to do any math's

today alone I ve used it at least 2 times, just to check sums and such.

Hitchhiker · **Mon Jul 25, 2005 5:16 pm**

I use calculators all the time. That being said, I know how to perform arithmetic without one, but when you're trying to do complicated math, using a calculator is faster and easier. I'm not too good at doing it in my head, I usually need to write it out on paper to figure it out.

Lord Borg · **Mon Jul 25, 2005 5:22 pm**

I use them, simply becuase its faster, and usually i have several sets of numbers to add/subtract what ever it is im trying to do.

Captain Patrick · Commodore Joined: 06 Mar 2005 Posts: 2421

I use them when i need to, but not all the time.

1/1 · **Mon Jul 25, 2005 5:35 pm**

I always use one when in maths and science. If its simple enough to do withought a calculator I tend not to but otherwise how can you do all that fancy stuff that they expect you to?

B'Elanna Torres 7 of 9 · **Tue Jul 26, 2005 12:01 am**

i do in my college math classes b/c u have to. Geez, unless you know what you're doing a calculator is noooo good!

nadia · cookie Joined: 08 Apr 2005 Posts: 8560 Location: Australia

I use my'ne heaps when I remember to bring it to my maths class

tomparis · **Tue Jul 26, 2005 5:10 am**

I only use one when I can't figure out what I'm working on at all.

(or, in one case, when I forgot to do my Geometry homework and did it 10 minutes before I left for school

)

Birdy · Socialist Joined: 20 Sep 2004 Posts: 13502 Location: Here.

No, not that much. Sometimes when I'm lazy, and it's unfortunate I have one on my mobile phone, I use that more than my head.

But I agree, just doing it in your head keeps the grey mass alive!

PrankishSmart · **Tue Jul 26, 2005 8:35 am**

Depends how complex the math is.

purple_kathryn · **Tue Jul 26, 2005 12:05 pm**

I have to use it at work sometimes, Id prefer if I didn't have to but I really suck at maths

madlilnerd · **Tue Jul 26, 2005 1:09 pm**

When I do maths, even if it's something really easy like 56-49, then I quite often have to write it down. It's just something about me not being good at visulising numbers in my head.

On Brainiac-History Abuse, they showed that it was actually more accurate to use an abacus than a mobile phone calculator.

At school, I'm in the top set for maths. Our teacher does not like us using calculators, because they give messy, decimal, scientific answers, as opposed to clean, fractional, mathmatical answers. A lot of the time, you will get more marks if you do not use a calculator, for example, it's neater, more precise and less wasteful to write:
3pi + 4pi = ? (my brain's not fully in gear. It's the frigging summer hols!)
rather than:
(Big Messy Decimal That Goes On Forever) + (BMDTGOF) = ?
And I like our maths teacher. He's good. When we had the really crap teacher, she let us use calculators, and we did appaling on a lot of tests.

However, there's a GCSE calculator paper, so you do have to use on, for triganometry etc.