Can Google Replace Calculators?

Author: Mharman

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#1
Mharman
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As I've continued to do coursework in college, I've noticed one thing: I've yet to use the calculator I bought. It just sits there on a desk in my dorm room, only to be moved when I do the dusting.

When it comes to all the math I've needed in my classes, I just open an extra tab and use Google's calculator, or sometimes, I use certain websites for more complex mathematics.

Out of curiosity, how many of you, when working for your jobs or doing assignments in school, use a physical calculator? And how many use Google or a website? Which do you consider better and why?
#2
zedvictor4
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@Mharman
An electronic calculating device is an electronic calculating device.

I've had a Casio calculator for years and years and years. 30 or more.

And the battery is still the original.

How long do they last?
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#3
Mharman
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I've had a Casio calculator for years and years and years. 30 or more. And the battery is still the original. How long do they last?
There's one advantage to a normal calculator: You don't need to buy a new one every 5-10 years. Still, computers are necessary for a lot of work, to the point where you have to buy one every 5-10 years regardless. It won't make a difference if you have a physical calculator or not.

This does make me think of one advantage of using a physical calculator, though: It may be easier to focus on computation, since computers can access near-endless programs and websites that can be distractions.

#4
Lemming
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I remember using calculators in school,
I forget circumstance though, were they optional?
Lot of problems solved using written numbers, thinking in brain, finger counting, writing thoughts on paper as they progress.

Teacher's can't tell what's on a cell phone,
But a calculator has an intended purpose.

College less supervision, more autonomy, freedom, I suppose.

. . .

I could see cell phones replacing calculators,
Both are hand held, fit in pocket.
. . .
Of is a cell phone just a calculator with more features?
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#5
Mharman
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@Lemming
Or is a cell phone just a calculator with more features?
I'd argue it is not, since a cell phone's main feature is its various uses when it comes to communication.
#6
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It could but for exams and classwork there is an obvious reason why to not do this and limit the capability of the machine.
#7
oromagi
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I often just use the google search line to do simple equations but I also use the iPhone calculator more often than daily. 

For tests in many different contexts, people needs to be able to use a calculator but can't be permitted access to the internet.
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#8
Mharman
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@oromagi
For tests in many different contexts, people needs to be able to use a calculator but can't be permitted access to the internet.
I didn't consider that. Most of my exams are online and none of the exams in my current classes will require any math.

Still, another point for normal calculators.
#9
ILikePie5
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@Mharman
Out of curiosity, how many of you, when working for your jobs or doing assignments in school, use a physical calculator? And how many use Google or a website? Which do you consider better and why?
I use my TI-84 all the time. It’s easier to graph things to solve equations and also to save numbers

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#10
Mharman
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@ILikePie5
I use my TI-84 all the time. It’s easier to graph things to solve equations and also to save numbers
The math required by my courses isn't as complicated, so I never have to save numbers.

But yeah, this thread has convinced me calculators are superior to Google. Just not in my case.

Also: Of course you're repping Texas Instruments when it comes to calculators.
#11
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@Mharman
They’re just superior to other calculators lol
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#12
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@ILikePie5
And missiles lol.
#13
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@Mharman
Musical Christmas cards too.

We've got one from about 20 years ago that still plays.
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#14
Mharman
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@zedvictor4
Interesting.
#15
Sidewalker
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@Mharman
As I've continued to do coursework in college, I've noticed one thing: I've yet to use the calculator I bought. It just sits there on a desk in my dorm room, only to be moved when I do the dusting.

When it comes to all the math I've needed in my classes, I just open an extra tab and use Google's calculator, or sometimes, I use certain websites for more complex mathematics.

Out of curiosity, how many of you, when working for your jobs or doing assignments in school, use a physical calculator? And how many use Google or a website? Which do you consider better and why?
Away from my computer I use the calculator on my phone, at my computer I always have Excel open and use that.   Phone is better than a calculator because it's multifunction and I always have it, I think the reason I prefer the spreadsheet is because I'm most comfortable with the spreadsheet, been an Excel  power user for decades.

I'm old enough to remember when calculators became common, I was pretty good at doing math in my head and was amazed at how fast that ability dropped off once I started using a calculator, it's a matter of use it or lose it.  
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@zedvictor4
An electronic calculating device is an electronic calculating device.

I've had a Casio calculator for years and years and years. 30 or more.

And the battery is still the original.

How long do they last?
I don't think they last 30 years, are you sure it isn't solar powered?  
#17
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@Sidewalker
It's not solar powered as it spends most of its time in a drawer.

And I've certainly never changed the battery.

Though it doesn't get used much.

Most of the time I just work stuff out on paper, old school style.

Believe it or not when I first went to school in 1965, I was taught how to use an abacus.
#18
sadolite
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I use a physical calculator when doing my books. Phones are slow and cause mistakes more often because you have such a small keyboard and hit wrong numbers. I will use a phone in the field for a calculator to do a few quick calculations for whatever. Both are useful both have their place.  At least in my world.
#19
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@zedvictor4
" I was taught how to use an abacus." Me too,  in third or forth grade. Faster than a  calculator in the hands of a skilled user.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQtqlB-jXO0


#20
ebuc
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@sadolite
..." During the 500s, the Chinese developed the first framed and beaded abacus......The beads are in 13 columns and are worked from right to left, because the ones column is the one on the far right, which is the same as how we treat numerals. A horizontal strip of wood divides the columns of beads into a top section or “deck” with two beads worth five units each and a lower deck with five beads worth one unit each "..

 13 columns is into the trillions. Why would  peoples need to count into the trillions?






#21
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@Mharman
Few years back saw program of young man that hired himself out to do others homework for them. He had no degree. He stated he just used the internet to find answers to the homework questions. He was making a living off doing this. 
#22
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@ebuc
"Why would  peoples need to count into the trillions?" To figure out how much counterfeit money the govt prints for itself every year would be one example. 




#23
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@Mharman
Yes. Pretty sure Google is wealthy enough to purchase Texas Instruments for their own.
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#24
Mharman
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@ebuc
Lol. That's pretty smart.
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#25
Mharman
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@Intelligence_06
Not what I was asking, but true lol.
#26
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@Mharman
Nevertheless, Google IS a calculator. Is it only a calculator? No, it is also an online shopping junction, dictionary, web search engine, etc. Google is capable of doing anything within the range of elementary mathematics. Even if you try to scare it off with the integration sign and the matrix models, a few websites capable of being accessed by Google will suffice in handling those.

If Google "replaced" calculators, it is already one. If we inject a chip into our brain resulting in us being superpowered and can calculate even the most complex definte integrals in miliseconds, we are calculators then. It is not calculators themselves entirely that are being replaced, only the older generation with the newer gen.
#27
K_Michael
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Programs like WolframAlpha, Desmos, the Google calculator feature, etc., ARE CALCULATORS. I generally use these more than a dedicated physical calculator, especially in online coursework, but there are certain advantages to being able to access advanced functions anywhere, without wifi or power. It's like saying, "can Kindle replace books?" People aren't going to stop reading novels because of Kindles, even if paper sales decrease (and even stop someday?) as they gain in popularity.
#28
sadolite
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I think to many people are fixated on what functions are available for doing calculations rather than the actual physical functionality characteristics of either a calculator with buttons or a touch screen device. People who do hundreds if not thousands of calculations  a day such as an accountant or book keeper  is not going to use anything with a touch screen. Calculators with buttons will always have their place and will not disappear. You could argue that the number keys on a desk top are the same thing but they are not.
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#29
Mharman
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@K_Michael
You are missing the point lol.

I was simply asking how many people use Google over a "normal" calculator, and vice versa.
#30
K_Michael
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@Mharman
You're missing the point that there's no difference other than the idea of a dedicated physical device for a single program that the computer you carry in your pocket can already do along with thousands of other tasks.