Exam policy on calculators. Students will not be allowed to
use calculators (smart phones, other electronic equipment) on in-class
quizzes and exams. These quizzes and exams will be designed keeping
this limitation in mind.
On–line tools. Graphing calculators can be very
useful, but if you don't have one then there are many on-line
resources that provided at least the same and often better functionality.
No matter how useful these tools are, something is lost when you rely
on them to answer a question rather than thinking it through yourself.
Google functions like a calculator (type
“sqrt(2)-pi” into Google to see what happens).
Google also graphs functions. To see the graph of a few
functions just type them into Google (try it: type
“y=sin(x^2),x^2” into Google.) In fact, Google
will even make 3D graphs for you. Here is a demo:
On a Mac you will find a graphing calculator (grapher.app)
in the Utilities folder, within the Applications folder.
Windows does not come with a graphing calculator, but there is a
free graphing calculator that can do 3D graphs. You
can find it here.
Wolfram Alpha
can do a huge number of calculus computations. The answers are not
always in simplest form, and even this site will not always get
things completely right (e.g.this)
The machine has got to be accepted, but it is probably better to
accept it rather as one accepts a drug — that is, grudgingly and
suspiciously. Like a drug, the machine is useful, dangerous, and
habit-forming. The oftener one surrenders to it the tighter its
grip becomes. –George Orwell, novelist (1903–1950)