If people invented calculators than why must we know math?

Answer 1

Because calculators can break, batteries can fail, you might be in a dark room - calculators aren't foolproof.

Besides, do you always want to be carrying a calculator around with you?

Answer 2

If you are the first generation of a city on the moon with no calculator, who is going to program them so you can use the calculators
Also higher math uses calculators as a tool
you can build a house with just the tools you need to be able to think and plan out the house that is what math teaches you to do
right now you are probably in a lower level class so this wont make any sense to you for another couple years but oh well

there is also a good book about the future and everyone is relient on calculators but you probably wont hear about it until it comes out as a movie

Answer 3

The main reason is because button-bashing mathematicians almost invariably screw up calculations if done all on calculator. The method of science and maths is to record all steps taken, so that you can work backwards in order to correct mistakes.

For complex multi-step calculations, a calculator will not tell you where you went wrong, nor will it explain to you why you went wrong so that you would fail to make the same mistake again. And for systems like accounting involving interest rates and taxes, for example, it is ESSENTIAL that people understand the maths, because getting it wrong could have huge consequences. Technology is a tool, not an answer to everything.

Answer 4

Because it is often more efficient to be able to do basic math in your head. For a simple practical example, think of shopping and eating out. When you go shopping, wouldn't you like to be able to near instantly figure out what that shirt will cost at 30% off? For a restaurant, wouldn't you like to be able to tell what a 15% tip is, or a 20%, without having to guess?

Plus, you will find that in many jobs there is value to being able to calculate numbers in your head. For example, I spend all day writing and reading (legal work), but I still occassionally need to add up a series of dates, and it's a lot better when I can do that in my hear without having to go to my drawer, pull out my calculator, and then have to run through the calculation a few times just to be sure I punched the numbers right.

Answer 5

That's like asking "If people invented dictionaries then why must we know language". It constantly irritates me that quiz programs phrase arithmetic questions as maths questions! You wouldn't really say that spelling was literature. You have to know what to type into a calculator, a calculator can't do that by itself.

Answer 6

One only needs to go to any retail store to see how little math people know. Most cashiers can not give proper change without looking at the register or computer in front of them. The majority of college grads can't do simple math without the calculator. It's not a good thing.

Answer 7

There's more to math than calculator arithmetic, a lot more. And you need to know some of it to know which buttons to push on the calculator.

Answer 8

There is a lot of math that cannot be done on the calculator.

Answer 9

for when there isnt a calculator around or if it breaks. u rely too much on technology. also its very important to make calculations in life without havin to walk down the stairs to find out on ur calculator how much space u have left to place the door in ur childs bedroom, then agen thats just a random example.

Answer 10

Somebody has to know how to run the calculator.