21 Dec
1998
21 Dec
'98
4:46 a.m.
> > Unfortunately, lots of
"fundamental" knowledge gets left out when you
> > skip electric lights and go to things much more complex.
> Somewhat like grade school children using calculators instead of
> really learning mathematics.
<soapbox>
This is why, as curator of the Slide Rule Trading Post (SRTP), I often
receive comments along the lines that it's a real shame that slide rules are
no longer used in schools. They are a perfect tool for developing an
understanding of logarithms and how to use them. They also make you think
about the answer (what magnitude you expect) and help in mental estimates,
rather than blindly relying on the numbers that come up on the screen.
I'd still like to see slide rules return to
schools.
</soapbox>
<soapbox boxsize=2>
Call me heretric, but in my opinion a slide ruler and a pocket
calculator is the same. Both are calculating devices that give
a prety neat answer IF YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE ASKING. Before
using either you have to know what you want. If you just use
them to solve the operation instead of thinking about the process,
you just get rubbish.
</soapbox>
Gruss
H.
--
Ich denke, also bin ich, also gut
HRK