Skip to main content
ptc-39131761-Visitor
1-Visitor
May 5, 2012
Solved

The Idea of using Mathcad for homework (algebra, trig, calc, and beyond)

  • May 5, 2012
  • 3 replies
  • 2482 views

I'm getting ready to start Calculus and was wondering if any of you guys have used Mathcad to turn in for homework to give to your instructor(s)? What are the positives and negatives, (if any), for going this route instead of pencil and paper. Also, did your instructors accept using this technology or they wanted you to use traditional methods (pencil and paper).

Reason why I wanted to start using Mathcad for homework was the simplicity of creating documents, a different learning experience, and a record of all my documents.

Best answer by StuartBruff

Preston Baxter wrote:

My daughter is in Calculus now and has been using Mathcad for awhile. This year a good number of her problems actually said to use a "graphing utility."

As the class got started she asked her instructor about using it, and he didn't have any problem with it. As her "coach" I made her do one or two of the problems by hand before she would do others in MC. Sometimes setting up the problem is the key being taught, and I wouldn't want to short-change that part.

Preston

I think there are tremendous advantages to doing it the 'old fashioned' way (you really get to understand how things work, but ...), but there are also tremendous advantages to using computer assistance (eg, getting stuck, having no book solution to check against, and Speed!).

Presentation is, however, a big advantage of Mathcad compared to most other packages (but not for much longer as Mathcad has not made the signficant improvements it both needed to have done and should have done). I gave an example about six and a half years ago using the Black-Scholes model - I still think its one of the best in terms of solving the problem and showing how to a casual reader.

Stuart Black Scholes Merton website

3 replies

HarveyHensley12-Amethyst
12-Amethyst
May 5, 2012

Matt,

I'm too old to have used Mathcad for homework, so I'm helping appeal to the hundreds of students that have been posting problems with their homework while using Mathcad: please answer Matt's questions! And Matt, remember for everyone having a problem with Mathcad and therefore posting here, there are probably a hundred NOT having any problems with Mathcad. Hopefully, some will take the time to answer your questions regarding instructor acceptance. If not, you can just ask the instructor. For that discussion, you may want to have an example that demonstrates the use of Mathcad as a math documentation tool, not a solving tool. You can do derivations with equations by using the boolean equals sign instead of the definition := sign. This turns of all of the solving so that the red errors don't pop up.

P.S. I'm for it.

ptc-11768911-Visitor
1-Visitor
May 5, 2012

My daughter is in Calculus now and has been using Mathcad for awhile. This year a good number of her problems actually said to use a "graphing utility."

As the class got started she asked her instructor about using it, and he didn't have any problem with it. As her "coach" I made her do one or two of the problems by hand before she would do others in MC. Sometimes setting up the problem is the key being taught, and I wouldn't want to short-change that part.

Preston

StuartBruff23-Emerald VAnswer
23-Emerald V
May 6, 2012

Preston Baxter wrote:

My daughter is in Calculus now and has been using Mathcad for awhile. This year a good number of her problems actually said to use a "graphing utility."

As the class got started she asked her instructor about using it, and he didn't have any problem with it. As her "coach" I made her do one or two of the problems by hand before she would do others in MC. Sometimes setting up the problem is the key being taught, and I wouldn't want to short-change that part.

Preston

I think there are tremendous advantages to doing it the 'old fashioned' way (you really get to understand how things work, but ...), but there are also tremendous advantages to using computer assistance (eg, getting stuck, having no book solution to check against, and Speed!).

Presentation is, however, a big advantage of Mathcad compared to most other packages (but not for much longer as Mathcad has not made the signficant improvements it both needed to have done and should have done). I gave an example about six and a half years ago using the Black-Scholes model - I still think its one of the best in terms of solving the problem and showing how to a casual reader.

Stuart Black Scholes Merton website

Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement