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Andrew Czap TO: Marilyn Broyles Formulas; Yes or No? The question I plan to answer in this essay is why we, students of Calculus at Martin High School, should be given calculus formulas for quizzes and tests. The majority of math that we learn throughout our high school years we will not need in the career field of our choice. Unless of course if you go into engineering, etc. The basic math that weve learned will benefit us for the rest of our lives, using it on a daily basis to solve problems that we are faced with. But the more complicated math we wont use, at all. I believe these more challenging math courses are meant to gain logic from. Because we all now that we wont use the majority of it, if any of it at all. The reason we learn things we don't need is to round ourselves, understand the world. So when rather than understanding math, we memorize it, learning it at all is useless. But really, learning is meant for understanding, not for the sole purpose of a challenge. It is a challenge to memorize those formulas. The whole purpose of school and learning is to understand what is being presented to you. So why not give the students the formulas? If we know how to use the formula and solve the problem, then weve learned something. If the student doesnt know the material than it will show. Think about it in a real world situation; computers do everything now; computers solve equations. They write equations, they are what drive math and science today. Scientist dont need to memorize the equations, theyre given to them. But they need to learn how to use it, how it works, how to solve a problem with it, but over repetition those formulas will be memorized. My brother is studying mechanical engineering and he said that the equations are provided for major tests, because the professor just cares about whether or not if you know how to use the equation. Not whether you have it memorized. If you dont know the material then the formulas dont help you at all. Hell, they have computers that solve the equations for them. They just need to know how it applies to the problem/situation. A student's life is already hard enough for them; they have other subjects to study for, other responsibilities and so on. Why bother to force them to memorize formulas? For students weak in math, they have enough trouble trying to understand the concepts and keeping up with never ending homework. Besides, the formula sheet is only useful when one knows how to use it, so giving students a formula sheet isn't cheating; it is maximizing their potential to do well on the test. So what is the point of having us memorize formulas? We are getting tested on how to think through a problem. We shouldnt be tested if we memorized the formula. Also why memorize formulas for a class when life is an open-book test? Would you take your car to a mechanics shop that did not have manuals for the mechanics? Of course not, you don't want him trying to recall from memory the many different factors involving your car. The world is full of valuable resources and technology is not going away. So should teachers be teaching students how to use the resources available and how to apply them? I say yes.

Also dont teachers use formulas, dont they constantly have to look back at formulas. They dont have them memorized. So what makes you think well memorize them either? If teachers need the formulas so do the students. Plain and simple. Then the discussion comes down to do you give us all the formulas. I say no. But for formulas that relate to conceptual ideas then yes, for example the circumference of a circle, etc. For me I know that Id retain more of the information if I know how to use it, how it pertains, what situations to use it in. Not whether or not I know the formula for it. The real world is interested in results. Look around, we are a result based society. We dont care how we achieve the finale but rather how was the final product. I believe we should be provided with formulas for quizzes and tests because yall are preparing us for the real world. I believe that understanding something is a lot more resourceful and important than just having it memorized. Cause in the real world those formulas will be provided for us, or we would just type in numbers to a computer and itd spit out the answer for us. Formulas are meant to be understood.

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