RPN (was Re: TI-83+)

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RPN (was Re: TI-83+)

>High school students everywhere in the counrty are
>required to buy graphing calculators for math class.  These are not (with a
>small number of exceptions) people of intelligence enough to learn RPN.

I simply will not buy the argument that it takes someone of above average
intelligence to put the plus sign after the two numbers.  Anyone who is smart
enough to be required to buy a graphing calculator is smart enough to type in 2
3 + rather than 2 + 3.  It's not hard.  It might be like relearning to tie your
shoes a different way, but that doesn't make it hard...just different.

>No, people enjoy doing it on the calculator the way it is done on paper.

Your argument fails here because parentheses are not on the paper either.  It
doesn't take a mental conversion.  All you have to do is look in the middle of
the equation first.  Looking at an equation on paper and punching it into your
calculator with parentheses involves as much "mental conversion" as punching in
that same equation in RPN.

Jeremy

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