9

FIELD TEST

calculators in classrooms, is there a place for them
outside of education?

GETTING DIRTY
Workshops vary massively – do you want to be
getting your laptop or phone out every time you need
to check some maths? For many people, that’s fine,
but if you’re covered in grease or dust, that may not
seem that attractive an option. We can definitely see
the advantages of having any particular equations
you need in your line of work preprogrammed into a
device with physical buttons.
Another advantage of a pure calculator is that it
doesn’t distract you. It’s just a calculator, so there are
no notifications about who’s tweeted, or anything else
about what’s happening in the world.
These things can’t have everything, but we can’t
help but think that this calculator would be improved

with some way of capturing data. A simple analogue-

in connection, which could capture values from

simple experiments to be processed in the existing

framework, would open up a whole new world of

possibilities. Alternatively, the ability to easily upload

datasets from your computer would be useful.

Perhaps, though, that reflects our usage patterns, not

those of people using this calculator.

NumWorks has created a great calculator: it feels

solid, is easy to use, and is open-source. While

we can’t comment on its suitability for a particular

curriculum, it feels like a great option for learners.

For people who have left formal education behind,

it’s a hackable hand-held with a fairly powerful

microcontroller. This opens up a range of options,

whether you’re looking to code it through the official

interface and Python, or replace the firmware entirely

and build your own platform on this hardware.

Easy to use, this

is a solid option

for those who

are learning. It’s

open-source,

uses Python,

and gives

interesting

coding options.

8 / 10

VERDICT

FIELD TEST

Above

The calculator

will be instantly

recognisable to

generations of maths

students, despite

the new hardware

and software

Left

NumWorks has

a blog series on

the design and

manufacturing of the

calculator at

hsmag.cc/LkDAFO