Lockheed Martin puts out a Fusion Related Press Release

I'm not saying that students shouldn't be taught how to do it by hand. I am saying that they should be taught how to do it by hand, then allowed to use calculators and other computational tools. Doing homework assignments on Mathematica isn't going to help them on tests in that regard. However, once they know how to do it by hand, they should be allowed to use tools that expand the types and amount of problems they can solve.

The slide rule is dead, its not even something worth discussing outside of its historical and coolness factor.

khalid_sl said:

Doing homework assignments on Mathematica isn't going to help them on tests in that regard.

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Doing homework on Mathematica is going to lead to them not understanding the Math they're doing. The whole point of homework, as you should know, is to help the student find out his weak spots in understanding the subject matter.

The slide rule is dead, its not even something worth discussing outside of its historical and coolness factor.

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You say dead. I say sleeping, like King Arthur. And like King Arthur, will return to save mankind from innumeracy and/or Mordred.

tad10_sl said:

Doing homework on Mathematica is going to lead to them not understanding the Math they're doing. The whole point of homework, as you should know, is to help the student find out his weak spots in understanding the subject matter. .

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Yes, and not teaching them Mathematica isn't going to stop them from cheating if they want to. What does stop them from cheating on homework, is failing tests because they aren't prepared.

Fuck, why am I arguing with you? You think slide rules are coming back.

Tripamang_sl said:

If 10 billion turns five years into six months, it'll be worthevery penny in climate change damage it prevents. The time to act is now and the cognitive dissonance and tunnel vision that fusion energy investment currently has is holding back us as a species. If you have cheap energy fresh water becomes limitless, food becomes limitless, recycling all materials becomes viable and I'm sure thousands of other ideas no one fathomed/thought possible will become a reality. We need this tech yesterday :/

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Ahahahaha, you believe in climate change.

khalid_sl said:

Yes, and not teaching them Mathematica isn't going to stop them from cheating if they want to. What does stop them from cheating on homework, is failing tests because they aren't prepared.

Fuck, why am I arguing with you? You think slide rules are coming back.

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Which gets to the actual reason kids are terrible at math now, they aren't allowed to fail at it. From teachers not being allowed to fail students to parents (who probably suck at math themselves) refusing to allow the school to tell them their precious snowflake should be held back at math. Until students are held personally responsible for their performance in school none of it will change.

LiquidDeath_sl said:

Which gets to the actual reason kids are terrible at math now, they aren't allowed to fail at it.

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Yes, the high schools that allow students to come to college without knowing how to simplify fractions, that shit is insane and it happens more than you might think heh. However, adding slide rules to that isn't going to help.

Slide rules are silly but honestly at what point was this a good thread? There isn't much to even discuss about the main topic since info is next to nonexistent

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The late-50s/early-60s were a wonderful time to be a mad scientist on the government payroll.

khalid_sl said:

High school graduates fresh to college are bad at mathematics for so many reasons, however what I see so much is students just being intimidated by mathematics. Iannis for example has said that notation always scared him. Students need to be made comfortable with mathematics, to be taught that it isn't intimidating. Handing them a slide rule will if anything have the opposite effect.

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It's greek letters and shit man.

Fuck that. Semper Romanus.

edit: nm .gif looks like shit

Aren't Slide Rules the equivalent of teaching kids how to make fires with flint/stone even though we have numerous improved ways of making campfires?