Is Your Calculator Giving You The Wrong Answers? This Might Be Why…
Do you rely on your calculator for GCSE maths? Do you trust it? Do you use a scientific calculator? Did you know it could be wrong? So many questions, but a traditional calculator just doesn’t cut the mustard when it comes to the more complex aspects of maths that you will learn for the GCSE exams. However, the more complicated the calculator, the more settings there are, and the higher the chance of the calculator giving the wrong answers.
On the Skills4Parents Youtube channel I demonstrated the difference between a scientific and non-scientific calculator. Watch the video here:
Here are some things you need to ask yourself when you’re using your calculator…
- Is it using the order of operations to do the calculations? Remember BIDMAS (if not, why not? It’s fundamental to the GCSE exam – read more here.
- Is it in the right mode? Scientific calculators have many different functions and they will give you different answers too. Watch my video here on how to set your calculator up in the correct way for how you want to use it:
- Do you do some estimation around the answers that you have, in case you input something incorrectly. An estimate will guide you in the right direction, even if they are fairly broad.
Is your calculator giving the wrong answers? Bring your questions to Education Support 4 Parents, and I’ll help you figure it out!