Use of calculators should begin in elementary grades after students have mastered basic math operations. The fear that calculators do students' thinking is well founded if they are introduced before math concepts are mastered. The gains from using calculators are numerous: they free students from drudgery and leave more instructional time. (MD)

The Computer Museum in Marlborough, Massachusetts houses old and not-so-old calculators, famous old computers and parts of computers, photographs and assorted memorabilia, computer-generated murals, and even a computer made of Tinkertoys that plays tick-tack-toe. The development of the museum and selected exhibits is described. (Author/JN)

A previously developed program for the HP-41C programmable calculator is extended to handle models of differential and difference equations with multiple eigenvalues. How to obtain difference equation solutions via the Z transform is described. (MNS)

Provides instructions for and examples of balancing chemical equations using a desktop calculator. (JN)

Suggests the use of a calculator to scale photographs for the printer. (HOD)

The article surveys the practices in residential schools for the blind concerning the use of computational devices and the types of teacher training in the use of the abacus. Consensus of facts and opinions voiced by respondents from 30 residential schools is reported. The major emphasis is on the effective use of the abacus. (Author/SBH)

The use of the programmable calculator is discussed for obtaining numerical solutions to equations. The program is listed and the method illustrated. (MP)

This article on mathematics in the curriculum describes how students learn the characteristics of conic section equations by entering them into graphing calculators to make happy faces in a high school or college algebra class. A sample worksheet page is included. (Author/LRW)

Discusses the importance of calculators in the teaching and learning of mathematics. Argues that affordable graphing calculators let all mathematics students use computer visualization on a regular basis for both in-class and out-of-class activities. (ASK)

Why calculators should be used for testing, as well as for instruction, is discussed. The focus of the curriculum would shift from computation to deeper development of concepts and to mathematical modeling. A broader curriculum would result. (MNS)

Explores the effects of varying the coefficients in the general quadratic function using graphing calculators. (MKR)

Examines what students think about calculators and their use in school by utilizing a short questionnaire. Concludes that children had mainly positive views about the calculator although much of it still remained a mystery, and none of them appeared particularly confident in using it. (ASK)

Presents examples in which the graphing calculator can provide students with particularly valuable insights into some major statistics ideas such as random numbers. (ASK)

Describes a calculator program that graphs and indicates the main features of the conic whose second-degree equation includes a nonzero xy-term. The program indicates coefficients of conic in a rotated coordinate system, type of conic, angle of rotation, coordinates of vertices of conic in the original coordinate system, and a graph of conic…

Discusses the appropriateness of lower secondary school students using graphics calculators instead of scientific calculators. (ASK)