Tutoring math, calculator use is perennial.  The math tutor introduces a nifty trick for the Casio fx-260Solar.

In physics, you often have a constant in a formula.  An obvious example is

F=mg, where g=9.8m/s^2

High school physics students use the above formula hundreds of times.

There are a couple of ways to use the Casio fx-260Solar so that you don’t have to enter 9.8 each time. Here’s one:

Enter 9.8 then X X; doing so defines 9.8 as a multiplication constant. You’ll see “K” next to the “DEG” around top middle of the screen, meaning you’ve defined a constant. Now, pressing any number, then =, will give that number multiplied by 9.8.

As soon as you enter one of the arithmetic keys (let’s say, for instance, you enter 6 X 7), the constant is erased; the “K” next to “DEG” disappears.

In the Casio manual, this feature is referred to as “Constant Calculations.”

I’ll be saying more about calculator usage in future posts:)

Jack of Oracle Tutoring by Jack and Diane, Campbell River, BC.