HP35s output displays (apologies, another question)

[Dieter]

(10-08-2014 04:35 PM)Kyburo Wrote:  arcsin(1/2) = ?

the HP gives me back 0.5236.... but the only other option I've got is to convert it into a fraction which in this case isn't going to help me as they specifically want "Pi/6".

I'm sort of guessing that this is not a feature available in the HP35s?

No, the 35s will not display 0,523598775598 as \(\pi/6\), just as it will not display 2,64575131106 as \(\sqrt{7}\) or 0,69314718056 as \(ln 2\). Simply because the 35s does not use some kind of CAS that could return symbolic results. Its answers are always numeric, rounded to 12 places.

On the other hand, if you really want to know which fraction of \(\pi\) the result stands for: a simple [\(\pi\)] [X<>Y] [\(\div\)] does the trick. And finally: do I really ask for too much if I expect students at university (!) to know that \(arcsin \frac{1}{2}\) is 30 degress or \(\pi/6\) and 0,5236 is the numeric value of this, and 1,5708 is recognized as \(\pi/2\) or 1,0472 as \(\pi/3\) ?-)

Dieter