Calculators and the failings of our youth (education systems)

Like any geek, proto-geek, or engineer, I can recall any calculator or computer that I have ever owned. My first calculator was an EC4000. IIRC, it was a Radio Shack licensed copy of a TI. It had a diode display, had to be charged nightly, and I prowdly wore it on my belt until my senior year of HS.

On 4Apr83, prior to my entering tech, I bought for $112.32 an HP15c and it started a passion for HPs that remains to this date[1]. The 15C is a wonderful calculator – it has a landscape form and can be used two-handed. I think this is the only family of calculators thus made[2].

My current calculator is a 48S. I really like it because of its statistical packages (never have to look up tables on a normal or, thank god, an F test). It was I believe the first HP with build in unit tagging. This meant that during thermo, I just had to declare one value for “R” and convert it to whatever the problem required[3].

I had purchased the successor model of the 48S, the 48G. I ended up selling it for $100. Although it had standard formulas, it was menu driven, and for most of the calculations that I wanted to do, it was slower. After nearly 10 years of use, the enter key stopped working. I took it to the University electronics shop, but they couldn't fix it. It was no londer made, of course, so eBay came to the rescue.

Upon unemployment, I considered taking the EIT, but part time work intruded. I got the APPROVED RPN calculator. Not as durable, not as useful and usually stays on the computer table. I let the wife use it[4].

When I subbed for the County schools, I was shocked at the number of calculators in the classrooms and their use. THE KIDS WOULD USE THEM TO EVALUATE SIMPLE EQUATIONS. What's worse is they had no idea if the result was reasonable. Before I had a calculator I used a slide rule on occasions. It really teaches you to check your decimal places and see if an answer is reasonable. I guess that I am too old school – I was shocked that they no longer solve Karnaugh maps[5] by hand anymore.

[1] Real geeks like HPs, or at least the old ones, because they use RPN, reverse polish notation. It changes how you think about math and you have trouble going back to “Normal” calculators. They don't have parenthesis or an equal key, they have a stack and an enter key. If I wanted to evaluate 3 times the quantity 12 squared plus 3, I'd go 12 ENTER, 12 ENTER, TIMES, 3, PLUS, 3 TIMES – Simple, Isn't it.
[2] The HP15C is no longer made, but is a highly sought calculator on eBay. They run about the same as what I payed for mine ~$120.
[3] Geiger and Porrier YUCK. This was the transport book that I used a Tech. Can you imagine doing heat transfer with BTUs?
[4] Being married to a geek (or having a geek for a dad) means that you might end up having to learn RPN.
[5] Part of my nightmares from being an EE student. They are a method of simplifying a logical expression.