The tutor continues from his last post about the value of solar energy dollars. In my last post I discussed the Wattage one might expect from solar energy for $100. Based on a graph from Scientific American, the equation for …
The tutor begins an exploration of the changing feasibility of solar energy. There is a graph provided by Scientific American that shows the Watts one might get for $100 from solar cells by year. As they point out, it’s a …
The tutor continues with some explanation of last post’s Perl random walk simulation. Below is the Perl code from last post, this time with some comments (recall that # denotes a comment in Perl): #!/usr/bin/perl # needed for Linux (Unix) …
The tutor returns to Perl programming with a random walk simulation. A really simple conception of a random walk is that the walker starts at 0 on the number line, then makes consecutive steps, each of which can either be …
The tutor demonstrates the useful change of base rule for logs. Consider the problem Simplify:log√(27)5√(81) This simplification might be suprisingly easy – if you know the change of base rule logab=logb/loga as well as the exponent to multiple log rule …
The tutor shows another feature of the Sharp EL-520W: simulation calculation, aka repetitive calculations with a formula. Let’s imagine you’re a middle school math teacher who wants to do a lesson about Pythagorean triples: you want sets of values a, …
Formula use: Simulation calculation on the Sharp EL-520W Read more »
The tutor shows the easy definite integral function on the Sharp EL-520W. While indefinite integrals such as ∫(xsinx)dx remain out of reach from calculators I know, the definite integral ∫0Π(xsinx)dx is easy to find on the Sharp EL-520W. You want …
Calculator use: definite integrals on the Sharp EL-520W Read more »
The tutor offers a case study in statistics. Around here, forestry might be the leading industry. Of course, I hardly ever see evidence of it; up in the hills is where the work is done. As I understand, one angle …
The tutor works lim(x→0+) x^x. The ability to evaluate a limit often depends on what’s in your “bag of tricks.” Here’s a first-year limit that uses a few: Example: Find limitx→0+x^x Solution: We can imagine y=limitx→0+x^x then use the log …
Calculus: a limit feat. the log trick and l’Hôpital’s rule Read more »
The tutor does a follow-up about non-permissible values. Back in my April 23 post I wrote about non-permissible values. You may want to visit there for a briefing. Today, I’ll point out a situation where there aren’t any non-permissible values: …
Math: non-permissible values: when there aren’t any (over the Reals) Read more »