Math Withouta Calculator

ComputerAlgebra? systems make mathematics easier by automating BranchOfMathematics? such as Calculus however it is good excercise to try do math problems without even using a calculator. However this is easier said than done because even simple functions like square root and more complex ones like trigonometric or exponential are difficult to calculate. However there are PowerSeries? which in principle allow this. At the lowest level there is still lots of long division as well as basic multiplication, addition etc so one has to brush up on what was learned early on. It is a Zen like experience however to do a relatively complex problem just using pencil and paper. There is a kind of MathematicalScaffolding? that emerges to help make the process more systematic similar to the lines drawn around a matrix when finding determinants. Even the most complex math can be resolved into small steps, this might be an approach to try in MathsEducation?


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