Forum Home
PC World Chat
Thread ID: 122602	2012-01-02 08:20:00	Apollo 13.	martynz (5445)	PC World Chat

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
1251708	2012-01-02 08:20:00	Watched the movie (again) on NYE. Noticed that when Tom Hanks wanted some figures checked a guy in ground control used a sliderule!!!! So there weren't electronic calculators in 1970? I bet there are some people on this forum who don't even know what a sliderule looks like let alone how to use one....lol And whatever happened to log tables? Ahhh, those were the days.	martynz (5445)
1251709	2012-01-02 08:23:00	I used a slide rule at one time in my life. I watched Apollo 13 last night too.	Snorkbox (15764)
1251710	2012-01-02 08:32:00	Used slide rules, and Eaton's log/confidence tables (orange colour?) at college. I think HP were the early calculators, and needed plugged to power. Then Casio fx87(?). Saw Tom hanks on interview program (UK?) last night or was it the movie?	kahawai chaser (3545)
1251711	2012-01-02 08:33:00	i need to watch that movie again	GameJunkie (72)
1251712	2012-01-02 08:39:00	I used a slide rule at one time in my life. I watched Apollo 13 last night too. I was using a slide rule in 1970 and saw my first electronic calculator about that same year. A collegue bought it back from the USA and from memory he paid $600. It was very basic.	tut (12033)
1251713	2012-01-02 09:13:00	The early calcs used the good ole nixie tubes as a display (hence the requirement to be plugged in) then they began using VFD's for a short while when VFD was cheaper than LCD. Eventaully LCD became much more cheaper and power efficient. Unfortunately both calcs and nixies are in short supply these days :( I tried to do calculus logs and trig using only the log tables a slide rule and a pythag book.... got about an hour into it and still couldn't do the 1st question :p So much of NCEA is formula/calculator based no. Its almost too easy. There is no knowledge about HOW and WHY everything works. We get told that you do this becase is works. Dont need to know why, all you need to know is that you substitute a with y to work out x. Its sad, my uncle was tutoring me for maths before the exams, the stuff he knows is great but I actually couldn't follow with him because he was describing stuff that we had been taught but I didnt understand it. We got the same answers but he knew what was going on and why. I didn't.	The Error Guy (14052)
1251714	2012-01-02 09:47:00	Seems like there is a rethink going on in the UK and Aus. au.news.yahoo.com	martynz (5445)
1251715	2012-01-02 09:50:00	So much of NCEA is formula/calculator based no. Its almost too easy. There is no knowledge about HOW and WHY everything works. We get told that you do this becase is works. Dont need to know why, all you need to know is that you substitute a with y to work out x. Its sad, my uncle was tutoring me for maths before the exams, the stuff he knows is great but I actually couldn't follow with him because he was describing stuff that we had been taught but I didnt understand it. We got the same answers but he knew what was going on and why. I didn't. Know what you mean. There used to be a topic called applied maths (mid 70's) which was optional in senior college. It was harder than the standard maths, i.e. algebra, calculus, trig, stats, etc, which generally required rote learning/calculation of formula. Few people did applied maths, which was a bit hard and boring, but it studied the theory, concepts, and applying algorithms, functions, with deeper insights. I think it's been dropped from the curriculum. Also, my earlier employer, a former Indian medical lecturer, told me that Indians contributed quite a lot to early mathematics, without much recognition. Did not believe him until I researched online.	kahawai chaser (3545)
1251716	2012-01-02 18:41:00	Also, my earlier employer, a former Indian medical lecturer, told me that Indians contributed quite a lot to early mathematics, without much recognition. Did not believe him until I researched online. Really? Why didn't you? I knew that............	pctek (84)
1251717	2012-01-02 20:52:00	Really? Why didn't you? I knew that............ True. Really... I don't know why I did not know. OK to try justify as why... - Could be where I lived or worked...No earlier contact with a professional and educated Indian person (also former professor). He partly employed me on my extensive maths/stats/excel background. That's were I learnt Indian history of maths from him. He described the early names, the theories they devised, etc. Probably the best "lecture" I have ever had about maths. History of it. - Even at other maths projects, jobs, etc, not mentioned by NZ staff. - Never thought about maths early adoptions (maybe should off in hindsight). I suppose maths history never really been taught or mentioned in schools. Maybe in recent years. - No NZ maths teacher or lecturer ever mentioned about early adoptions/history from maths classes, from schools to Uni, where I partly majored in maths. Even got to know key staff, which landed me part time jobs at Uni. All theory. No history. So if you are surprised me not knowing, believe me so was I when he told me. ...So How did you know?	kahawai chaser (3545)
1 2