Must See Tool Tip

[shopandmath]

If you have not seen these APP’S in use you don’t know what you are missing
Shop Tools Tips And Tricks 2 life / hacks
Must Have APP's FREE
Trig Solver and Photomath
Video URL

[Frank S]

I'm hardly into having a large bundle of apps on my phone but then again whenever I need my scientific calculator it is nowhere near where I am at the time. So I find myself scratching lines out on a piece of steel with soapstone. By the time I am done with scribbling the calculations I have a menagerie covering the plate of steel and will have to start allover again when the answer was not what I had expected.
I can see 1 or 2 of these as being quite useful but at the same time just another source to dumb my mind down further than it already is.
But thanks anyway.

[jdurand]

I have TechCalc on my phone, puts a lot of calculators all in one app. It's free with small advertisements that aren't intrusive.

[shopandmath]

In education unfortunately every thing that can be used for good can also be used for evil
In math class I constantly get why do I need to (know or do) this ?
Math teaches you problem solving
Thank you for your comment Frank S

[mklotz]

Programs like the triangle solver are handy if you have to do it frequently but they're no substitute for knowing what you're doing so you can do it when the program isn't available. If your approach to understanding math is to do your utmost to avoid doing any whenever presented with a problem, you will never understand it.

Every triangle has six pieces of information - three sides and three angles. It's always possible to completely solve the triangle if you know three pieces, one of which must be a side. With a right triangle you get one piece for free, the ninety degree angle, so you only need to know an angle and a side or two sides to completely solve.

A good test of your understanding of trigonometry is to write the solution sequence for every combination of known pieces of a non-right triangle. [Here "solution sequence" means identifying sequential steps that lead to a total solution; each step showing what to solve for and the equation used to solve for it.] No partitions of the original triangle are allowed.

Most amateurs, if they learn any trig at all, seldom get beyond sine and cosine. The suggested exercise will demonstrate why you need to understand the law of sines and the law of cosines.

For folks who don't have a smart phone (yeah, there are a few of us left), there's a triangle solver on my page and one here...

https://www.calculator.net/triangle-calculator.html

[shopandmath]

Thank you Marv for the awesome link
Its group member like you is why I keep coming back
I am going to post this link in my math portal
And thank you for your insightful comments
Ray

[clavius]

And while I suspect most here will be aware, know that if the issue is that you don't have a scientific calculator handy there are any number of scientific calculator apps for any smartphone. I use one called PanecalPlus but that I paid a few bucks for just to support the developer. Loads of others out there ofcourse, and most smartphones come with some from of scientific calc app anyhow. So if you have your phone, you have the scientific calculator by default.

I actually don't really like using my expensive smartphone (which I need for my job) out in the shop very much as I don't want to damage it. So I have maybe 4 or 5 or them scattered around the shop. My shop is not huge, but there is usually one in arms reach from most any part of the shop. They only cost a few dollars now, so no need to go without a few spares.

[shopandmath]

Hi Jdurand
Thank you for replying to the post
I could not find the TechCalc in the app store is it only android
It could be that its not available in Canada
Below is a photo of what I found on the app store
(still having problems uploading photos)
Ray

[mklotz]

All the discussion of calculator apps encouraged me to highlight my favorite.

I'm a great fan of RPN calculators and especially programmable ones. A quick calculator program can often save the effort of an actual computer program or (spit) a spreadsheet.

Educalc has written a complete emulator for the HP 35s, Hewlett-Packard's newest programmable RPN/ALG calculator. It can be downloaded here...

https://www.educalc.net/2336231.page

It's free so it's a great way to introduce yourself to RPN if you aren't yet familiar and, since it's programmable just like the real calculator (which I also own), you can learn programming too.

I use it for all my onscreen computation despite the fact that the real thing sits in a desk drawer right by my left hand.

[shopandmath]

Thank you Marv for another awesome link
Your contributions are appreciated
Ray