The Death of Numerical Intuition

For those of you who aren't aware, my daughter just started high school. One of the required items on her school shopping list was a serious, $100+ calculator. The school recommends the TI-83, TI-83+, or TI-84. Do they really need such a serious graphing calculator for algebra? No! Let me back up a little.

When I was in 9th grade, the thought of using a calculator in math class was totally unheard of. I'm not talking about the stone age. I started 9th grade in September 1982. In fact, I didn't have to buy my first calculator until I was taking Math 12. This was a class in analytic geometry and statistics. The calculator wasn't necessary for geometry, but it really allowed me to study the concepts behind statistics without having to waste a lot of time adding up columns of numbers.

Back to the present day:
I wasn't about to buy my 13-year-old a $100+ calculator when I already have a TI-86 that I bought when I first started at RIT back in 1999. The calculator was recommended for my major, but I didn't really use it to it's full potential. It came in really handy for doing calculations in scientific notation and returning the answer in the same format. I even used it for some graphing in my Calculus classes. More often than not, I wasn't allowed to use my calculator on Calculus tests. I was expected to do the calculations and sketch the graphs freehand.

Now, my daughter is starting Algebra learning about quadratic equations. For the math illiterate, a quadratic equation is an equation of the format y=ax^2+bx+c. When graphed, this equation generates a parabola. It may seem kind of complicated, but trust me when I say it is one of the simplest equations in math. Every night for homework, my daughter has to graph about 6 of these equations and find the vertex, axis of symmetry, and assorted other information from the graph. In my day, I had to create a table of values and graph the darn thing on regular notebook paper. Now, the kids can just put the equation into the calculator, push a couple buttons, and they have their graph. Another couple of button presses and they have their table of values.

Now many of you might be saying, "Good for her. She is making use of the available technology." To that, I will reply, "BULLSHIT!!" She is being robbed of the really intimate knowledge that is gained from actually working with and manipulating the letters, numbers, and coordinates that make up the solution to the equation. Because I did these equations, and more complicated equations, by hand, I developed an uncanny intuition when it comes to numbers. If I see an equation, I can probably do a pretty accurate sketch of its graph. I fear that neither of my kids will be taught to develop that ability... All because teachers these days are too lazy to show kids how to elicit the magic that is stored inside those equations.