Re: Solver?

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Re: Solver?

Mark Calvert wrote:
>
> Does anyone know of a better solver program for the TI-86?  Overall, I
> am very pleased with the one built in, but occasionally I will enter a
> problem that will take a long time to solve on the solver that is
> relatively easy.

I can't help you there.
That aside, I just wanted to offer my comment on what you say. I assume
that when you say "relatively easy", it's because it didn't take you
long to solve the problem yourself?
What I'm getting at is that although the calculator is often much better
and faster than us at solving most problems, it still lacks the ability
to take a backwards step and see the greater perspective of a problem,
i.e. "if you re-write this into something that initially is a bit more
complex, or if you start out by squaring this function, it will pay off
in the end, no matter how inobvious[1] it seems."
In other words: the calc gets the job done, but not necessarily in the
most intuitively easy and/or fast way, simply because it isn't that easy
to program mathematical intuition, as opposed to rough method.

[1] Is this a word? :-)

Regards,

--
          Rene Kragh Pedersen
------------------------------------------------------------------
(2) When joining the two chain ends, the closing spring is to be
pressed in, but in no other way than contrary to the running direction
of the chain in the two closing grooves.
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