The following sections of this BookRags Literature Study Guide is offprint from Gale's For Students Series: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Works: Introduction, Author Biography, Plot Summary, Characters, Themes, Style, Historical Context, Critical Overview, Criticism and Critical Essays, Media Adaptations, Topics for Further Study, Compare & Contrast, What Do I Read Next?, For Further Study, and Sources.
(c)1998-2002; (c)2002 by Gale. Gale is an imprint of The Gale Group, Inc., a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Gale and Design and Thomson Learning are trademarks used herein under license.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction: "Social Concerns", "Thematic Overview", "Techniques", "Literary Precedents", "Key Questions", "Related Titles", "Adaptations", "Related Web Sites". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults: "About the Author", "Overview", "Setting", "Literary Qualities", "Social Sensitivity", "Topics for Discussion", "Ideas for Reports and Papers". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
All other sections in this Literature Study Guide are owned and copyrighted by BookRags, Inc.
During the 1970s, the hand-held calculator became quite commonplace for use in mathematical calculations. Originally, these could perform only the basic functions of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, and perhaps derive the square of a number. Later scientific calculators, the more advanced of which were programmable, added many new functions to the abilities of these useful devices. Yet the most they could display was numerical or symbolic results that often had to be interpreted by the user.
In the late 1980s, however, graphing calculators began to combine the power of its best predecessors with the ability to visually display results of certain calculations. The 1990s saw the graphing calculator virtually become a hand-held computer with advanced liquid crystal display capabilities. Some now even allow for symbolic algebra and calculus to be performed as well as graphing of two variables in three dimensions, a feat that would otherwise require a mathematician to be something of a technical illustrator as well. There are definite advantages to using graphing calculators for learning mathematics. These include the ability to visualize examples that are more complex than those that might normally be attempted by students or instructors. By using the graphing calculator students can discover properties for themselves, allowing them to be more engaged in the learning process. Graphing calculators connect a visual representation to the functions being studied.