It's winter here.
It's dark, dry, and cold.
In a week when not one but two of my college bound lambs could not divide by ten "in their heads," I rail for the almost extinct slide rule.
I was the the last of the slipstick generation--in 1976, the first scientific calculator appeared in my high school physics class. I could do some functions faster than the electronic machine.
I still have mine-a mahogany Keuffel & Esser 4081-3 Log Log Duplex Decitrig, first picked up by my Dad in the 1950's.
OK, you old fart, that was then, this is now...you don't still use that thing, do you?
I do indeed.
My K&E makes for a great back scritcher! Try doing that with your TI 83.
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5 comments:
I love this post!
Ironically two high school science teachers I had in the 60's also enlightened us with their slide rules. We respected them for their dedication and zeal in their infallible calculations.
LOL I learned to use a slide rule in high school and memorized multiplication tables until I could do large-number math in my head. Obviously dating myself.
When I taught density, speed, distance, momentum, etc. last year, I was continually frustrated by most students complete inability to do math. In fact, I learned that you should never do speed experiments across a 2 meter distance (a convenient size in a classroom) because they are completely incapable of putting 2 in the numerator.
Don't get me started about their inability to double-check their calculator math. It is apparently possible to drive 600 miles to Chicago in 1.2 hours at 50 miles/hour.
I just wrote a blog post at
http://pencilintegration.blogspot.com/2010/01/lamenting-loss-of-nouns.html
and it struck me how much your thinking and writing has influenced me. If it sounds too much like plagiarism, it's only because your blog has made a difference.
Dear John,
We simply share ideals--no worries. I read your book, I get ideas hours later, hard to tell what comes from where. You write from the heart, and you pay attention. I hope I do the same.
Dear Paul,
Slide rules are so cool because they're so exposed. I don't remember my HS teacher loving the slipstick as much as I did. My joy approached fetishism.
Dear Kathryn,
I wrestle with the same thing, and need to keep reminding myself that it is our generation, not their generation, that created the problem.
I spend some time in class playing with numbers. Just today, a child worked his way through what to us would be a very simple problem.
I suspect a few kids are starting to realize they're missing something,
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