I got up at 4:30 am this morning to work some AP Physics problems in electrical potential. I have never been a big fan of E&M, but the second semester of AP physics is all E&M. So, I have to study and work problems. I have a student at noon that is taking AP physics. Anyway, as I was sitting there working a problem I remembered that Carl made mention of the number of calculators appearing in a picture. So, I decided to see how many were on the shelf where I keep my books. There were eight, six electronic and two slip sticks. I have a lot of fun with the students when I ask them if they would like to see the calculator I used in high school and pull out a slide rule. They think I am joking and then I challenge them to a calculating contest. As long as you keep it to three significant figures, I can hold my own against them and their calculators.
Well, my mind continued to drift and for some reason I remembered a cheer we had at MIT where I did my bachelor's and PhD. You have to be a real geek to appreciate the humor.
e to the x dy/dx
e to the x dx
cosine secant tangent sine
3.14159
cube root, square root QED
slide rule slip stick MIT
And with that I will get back to calculating electrical potentials of discrete charges.
You forgot two calculators, the one on your computer, and your brain (the best one of all).
Guest
10-Feb-2008 18:14
maxwells' equations were my favorite part of physics II, but not as much fun as calculating the electric potential of two spherical chickens one meter apart in a perfect vacuum....
my aunt was an architect and i found a slide rule on her desk when i was younger. she showed me how to use it, but i have long since forgotten. if you really know how to use one, you can really kick some math butt. that cheer is hilarious...
i now only have a TI-85 and a TI-36X. my first calculator was a TI-2511. the one with the red LED numbers...