keho@quads.uchicago.edu (thomas david kehoe) (12/11/90)
I'm hoping to get a summer job with Hewlett-Packard, and I'm thinking of writing to them with some ideas for marketing their 48SX and 28S calculators. (I'm working on an MBA at the University of Chicago; the 48SX and 28S sell for about $300 and $200 respectively, and do calculus, algebra, graphing, and about 2000 other things.) The main idea is to develop textbooks for teaching calculus, college algebra, trig, etc., with the calculators. I remember these courses as being long on the mechanics of the chain rule, Gauss-Jordan elimination, etc., and short on solving word problems. With the HP calculators (or computer-based applications), a course could quickly cover the mechanics and get on to setting up and solving word problems. Plus, the graphing functions would also make the concepts easier to understand. Could someone tell me whether there are already courses like this? Do they work well? Do instructors like to offer them? Are they using Macintosh applications, or HP calculators, or what? Are there textbooks? My other idea was just to sell a funny poster about calculus in college bookstores. Maybe commission Gary Larsen to do a "Far Side" about calculus. (I remember the National Lampoon poster of a woman on a beach saying "I love men who know calculus".) Then the back of the poster would have photos of the 48SX and 28S, with copy about how they do calculus. -- "Why my thoughts are my own, when they are in, but when they are out they are another's." - Susanna Martin, executed for witchcraft, 1681. Dave Kehoe keho@midway.uchicago.edu (312) 753-0119
keho@quads.uchicago.edu (thomas david kehoe) (12/11/90)
I'm trying to hustle up a summer job with Hewlett-Packard. Do you think they'd go for the following ideas for marketing the HP 48SX and 28S calculators? (I'm working on a MBA at the University of Chicago; the 48SX and 28S sell for about $300 and $200 respectively and do calculus, graphing, algebra, and about 2000 other things.) The main idea is to develop textbooks for calculus, college algrebra, trig, statistics, etc., using the HP 48SX and 28S. The "slant" would be to spend less time on the mechanics of the chain rule, Gauss-Jordan elimination, etc., and more time setting up and solving word problems. I assume that people who use calculus in the "real world" use computer applications or HP calculators instead of doing it by hand. There would also be use of the graphing functions so that students could get a picture of what they're doing. The main point would be that math could be taught better with computers/calculator applications, but teaching faster could be another point. Portland Community College offers a 2-quarter calculus course with the 28S that replaces the 3-quarter calculus course. The 48SX doesn't do statistics as well as Minitab or other statistics applications, so I won't push this. Is this a good idea? Would math instructors want to offer such courses? HP's calculator division has a reputation for producing excellent manuals, so I'm sure the quality of the textbook would be excellent. Is HP already doing this? Have other colleges offered such courses, and how did they work out? My other idea for marketing the 48SX and 28S is to sell a funny poster about calculus in college bookstores. Maybe commision Gary Larsen to do a "Far Side" about calculus. I remember that National Lampoon had a fairly popular poster of a woman on a beach saying "I love men who know calculus." This would be too sexist for the '90's, but something else could work. The back of the poster would have photos of the 48SX and 28S calculators and copy describing how they do calculus. -- "Why my thoughts are my own, when they are in, but when they are out they are another's." - Susanna Martin, executed for witchcraft, 1681. Dave Kehoe keho@midway.uchicago.edu (312) 753-0119
hb136@leah.albany.edu (Herb Brown) (12/15/90)
In article <1990Dec11.012425.7739@midway.uchicago.edu> keho@quads.uchicago.edu (thomas david kehoe) writes: > >The main idea is to develop textbooks for teaching calculus, >college algebra, trig, etc., with the calculators. > >Could someone tell me whether there are already courses like >this? Do they work well? Do instructors like to offer them? >Are they using Macintosh applications, or HP calculators, or >what? Are there textbooks? > >-- >Dave Kehoe keho@midway.uchicago.edu (312) 753-0119 I believe it is more useful to write material that makes use of the technology in general, rather than a specific piece of the technology such as Maple or one of the Super Hand-held Calculators. A generic approach to the subject, which involves a generic approach to the use of this technology without forcing one to use a particular machine is certainly more attractive and would have wider appeal to mathematicians. This way, the same material could be used with Maple and Amiga Computers on the one hand, and HP48s on the other hand. An excellent example is the paperback text "Explorations in Calculus with a Computer Algebra System" by Donald Small & John Hosack, published by McGraw Hill. Herb -- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Herb Brown Math Dept The Univ at Albany Albany, NY 12222 (518) 442-4640 hibrown@leah.albany.edu or hibrown@cs.albany.edu or hb136@ALBNYVMS.BITNET ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
ERSHC@CUNYVM (12/16/90)
Its not clear that one needs to develop calc. texts for the hp48 or 28. When I got my 28s, I also received the HP28S 'Professor's Pack', containing a bunch of slides on how to use the 28. I haven't checked to see if there is a similar one for the 48, as I don't teach calc. Of course, this is not a text designed around the use of a calculator, but I don't like that idea anyway. Eric