Noisy calculators

by Peter Maher — last modified Tuesday Jul 15, 2008 15:22

— filed under: calculator, story

Hundreds of students using mechanical calculators in an examination makes a distracting noise

For part of my part-time degree course (1970-75) I did a module, I think called “mathematical method” which involved doing complex computation using one of those handle driven machines. It was fun practising and whirring the handle round at a rate of knots; however, at formal exam time I found myself in a huge hall with literally hundreds of fellow maths students, all whirring their handles so fast the the accumulated noise was deafening. I just went into hysterics and am still surprised that I ever passed.

Lesson learnt:

[ Perhaps a lesson to be learnt here is that technology's side-effects can be distracting? Richard Millwood, editor]

Document Actions

Full width timeline

The archive is directed and maintained by Richard Millwood of Core Education UK
supported by Sandra Crapper, Maureen Gurr and Margaret Cox.

The British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA) are archive sponsors.

Much of the archive was gathered in the years 1990 - 2006 by Prof Stephen Heppell
with Richard Millwood and stored at Ultralab at Anglia Ruskin University in Chelmsford.

In its early days it was catalogued by Greta Mladenova and more recently Rex Wingate helped to organise the 530 items in store.