Someone may beat me to this, but we should note that this is not the case
for calculators with graphic display. The negation does indeed come before
the number. The input must be either (-2)^2 or -2^2 depending on what you
intend to square as the +/- key is not used on (most if not all) graphing
calculators. The problem then would seem to be in the understanding of the
use of the parentheses.
Kim
At 10:13 AM 9/15/97 -1000, you wrote:
>Laura:
>
>Actually, the calculator is following the rule (it's own). Since all
>negative numbers have to be entered by touching the +/- key after the
>number entry, it is consistent to type the +/- after doing the
>exponentiation. (-2)^2 would be typed with the sequence 2, +/-, y/x, 2;
>while -2^2 would be typed (2, y/x, 2), +/-. The problem is with the
>requirement to enter the negation after, rather than before, the entry.
>
>John M. Flanigan <johnf@hawaii.edu> The equation is the final arbiter.
>Math Resource Instructor --Werner Heisenberg
>Kapi'olani Community College The scoreboard is the final arbiter.
>Honolulu, Hawaii --Bill Walton
>
>
>On Sun, 14 Sep 1997, Laura Petersen wrote:
>
>> As long we're on anecdotes, I had a student come up to me before class
>> last week and announce that he had discovered why you always have to be
>> thinking when you use a calculator. We were doing some standard order of
>> operations problems; I test their competency on doing "simple"
>> problems without calculators e.g. 12 + 6/3 - 1 (12 + 6) / (3-1) and
then
>> do more complicated ones with the aid of a calculator which probably has
>> order of operations programmed into it. Anyway, this student discovered
>> that his calculator could not distinguish between -4^2 and (-4)^2, it
>> treated both as positive 16. In this case, technology helped this student
>> clarify his understanding of notation and order of operations.
>>
>>
>> --Laura
>>
>> -------------------------------------------------------------
>> Laura Bracken petersen@lcsc.edu
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