HP Calculator Applications in the Workplace

[Thomas Klemm]

(07-14-2014 12:21 AM)Don Shepherd Wrote:  OK, I posted the game here.

Thanks!

Quote:If my students figure out the winning strategy without my help (and many do), then they have discovered the fine art of THINKING and I'm happy.

Do they figure out that they can cheat and enter the difference of 50 and the SCORE?

Cheers
Thomas

PS: Honestly, I think this is the best environment that you can offer as teacher: if the students can figure it out by themselves they are proud and remember it forever.

[Don Shepherd]

(07-14-2014 06:16 AM)Thomas Klemm Wrote:  Do they figure out that they can cheat and enter the difference of 50 and the SCORE?

Some do, but then it ceases to be a game. The solver user interface does not include text output, so you have to settle for beeping if you win and upside-down numbers if you lose.

Quote:PS: Honestly, I think this is the best environment that you can offer as teacher: if the students can figure it out by themselves they are proud and remember it forever.

You're exactly right. What makes it difficult as a teacher is that some kids figure out the winning strategy quickly, and others don't. So you have to compromise.

I have the advantage of teaching at a private boarding school, rather than a public school, which means I define the curriculum (within reason, of course), not the state. So I don't have to teach ridiculous things like box-and-whisker plots or stem-and-leaf plots, which the public schools have to teach because these things are on the standardized tests, which is stupid. Of course, it helps that I am a volunteer teacher. When you teach for money, you have to accept certain undesirable things.

[Egan Ford]

(07-14-2014 06:04 AM)Thomas Klemm Wrote:  

(07-14-2014 03:21 AM)Egan Ford Wrote:  I use a command line RPN calculator for quick math

What do you use? Is it "dc"?

No, I use "calc", it's part of MAPM (http://www.tc.umn.edu/~ringx004/mapm-main.html).

calc unlike dc just uses the command line args, e.g.:

Code:

calc 2 2 x

vs.

Code:

echo "2 2 * p" | dc

Calc operations:

Code:

calc [-d##] <numbers,operators>                         [Version 2.3]
      -d : specify decimal places, default = 30         [MAPM Version 4.9.5]

operators :  + : add                           s : sin
             - : subtract                      c : cos
             x : multiply (*)                  t : tan
             / : divide                        q : sqrt
             \ : integer divide (i)           as : arc-sin
             ! : factorial                    ac : arc-cos
            x2 : x ^ 2                        at : arc-tan
             r : 1 / x                       at2 : arc-tan2 (y,x)
            lg : log                           e : e ^ x
          lg10 : log10                         p : y ^ x
            xy : x<>y (exchange x,y)           n : +/- (negate (h))
            hs : sinh                        has : arc-sinh
            hc : cosh                        hac : arc-cosh
            ht : tanh                        hat : arc-tanh
             b : cube root                     d : dup (HP-Enter)
             f : floor                        cl : ceil
           gcd : GCD                         lcm : LCM
            s# : save memory, # = 0-9,a-z     r# : recall memory, # = 0-9,a-z
            pi : 3.14159..                   mod : modulus (%)

dc has bases and stack-nastics, but for basic math, calc is a better fit for me.

[SEasterling]

(07-14-2014 05:29 AM)DavidM Wrote:  So how did a calculator come into play? I used a handful of very specific routines I created that helped in two areas: calculating lighting adjustments, and determining specific eV and gamma adjustments while processing the digital shots. At the heart of several of the routines was a series of polynomials that matched to my specific camera/software combination, and it was actually easier for me to punch in a couple figures and press a menu key on the calc than to switch to another PC application while shooting or editing.

Very nice story! This is the sort of thing I was getting at. Thanks for sharing.

[Chris Randle (UK)]

Using a 50g at work to convert Seagate hard drive date codes to a human-readable date. Another that tells me how many hours/mins/secs fast/slow a BIOS clock is when I type in the date/time that it's showing.

Also using it to keep track of my timesheet and "flexitime". Neither the company-provided Excel spreadsheet nor the new multi-million (probably) pound program works properly.

I spend a lot of time looking at hex, so I also use a 16C for doing the usual things that 16Cs do best; but no programs.

But, like most of us here (I suspect), I'm a calculator nerd, so I probably wouldn't be using them if I wasn't already looking for a reason - even though they do the job more quickly and easily than any other solution I can think of.

[Brad Barton]

I use the innate vector handling features in the 48 & 50 to make balancing rotating equipment easier. I've written a few different single and dual plane balancing routines, and there's always a need for summing different balance shots to see their cumulative effect.

I also occasionally teach balancing. A polar graph of the vectors used is always a big help to students, and often helps clarify things out in the field. I'm hoping to use the Prime to generate the polar plots on the fly, as that would be very useful in both scenarios.

Ï've also used the equation library to solve some of the critical damping equations. Next, I'd like to use the Prime to graph the solutions.