Re: Deep Rescue: Will a shuttle float?

Henry Spencer (henry@xxxxxxxxxxxxx) writes:
In article <e4skr8$75n$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
Andre Lieven <dg411@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
"Do you know how to find the square root of 9,567,281?"
"Sure, I just tap the number in and hit the square root key... piece of
cake." :-\

Thats another example of skills lost by way of modern tech...

Even in pre-calculator days, precious few working professionals could have
remembered how to find a square root by hand. For low precision, you used
a slide rule; for high precision, a table of logarithms, possibly extended
to higher precision via interpolation. Admittedly not quite as simple as
using a calculator, but still very much dependent on mechanical aids.

Indeed. A pal of mine is a slide rle collector and afficianato.

(And yes, I still have both and could use them if I really had to... My
undergrad years straddled the transition to calculators.)

Where did the 70s go ? <g>

Andre

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Deep Rescue: Will a shuttle float?
    ... I just tap the number in and hit the square root key... ... Thats another example of skills lost by way of modern tech... ... For low precision, you used ... using a calculator, but still very much dependent on mechanical aids. ...
    (sci.space.history)
  • Re: The state of education in the USA.
    ... pencil & paper how are you going to know how to do it with a calculator? ... But the square root thing brings us to a different point about ... Robert Grumbine http://www.radix.net/~bobg/ Science faqs and amateur activities notes and links. ... Sagredo (Galileo Galilei) "You present these recondite matters with too much ...
    (talk.origins)
  • Re: The state of education in the USA.
    ... had to set up a Differential Equation (or set thereof) to solve a ... pencil & paper how are you going to know how to do it with a calculator? ... basic rule that the sqrt should be smaller than 9 not larger. ... wanted the square root of a number, but didn't have a calculator handy ...
    (talk.origins)
  • Re: The state of education in the USA.
    ... pencil & paper how are you going to know how to do it with a calculator? ... basic rule that the sqrt should be smaller than 9 not larger. ... wanted the square root of a number, but didn't have a calculator handy ...
    (talk.origins)
  • Re: The state of education in the USA.
    ... pencil & paper how are you going to know how to do it with a calculator? ...   The students who only know math through calculator, I find, have no ... for an answer (as often sqrt and x^2 are the same key, ... wanted the square root of a number, but didn't have a calculator handy ...
    (talk.origins)