Post B2HAFjbyEipje7PRD6 by poleguy@mastodon.social
(DIR) More posts by poleguy@mastodon.social
(DIR) Post #B2H69pAiFbPPKxaOBc by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-01-14T11:56:16Z
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#desmos is out of control. Here is my guide to all of the features I've found so far. You can make logic gates in there. You can do lists and iterate things:https://www.desmos.com/calculator/4xeklx0h4xThey've added summation and it's a little strange sometimes how it works. This threw me. You set i to be a list and it give you three answers. It won't evaluate it if you don't set an upper bound. I'm excited but also a little horrified that this is the new SAT calculator. It's just so feature-rich.
(DIR) Post #B2H73CacsuxvtT73hI by poleguy@mastodon.social
2026-01-14T12:06:06Z
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@futurebird I think they are attempting to steal the monopoly that TI has had on the calculator industry with the TI82/TI85/etc. I think it is a shame that my highschool kid had to buy a $100+ calculator from a specific company, effectively required by law despite being effectively required by law to already carry a $1000 smartphone from iPhone.The lobbyists of these companies have Lita of power.Desmos seems of the same ilk, making a move, democratizing in some ways, but also... ick?
(DIR) Post #B2H7WsALNvEpEmy3Bg by mhstoixeiwmenopip@kafeneio.social
2026-01-14T12:07:43Z
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@poleguy @futurebird ... Wdym they're required to have iphones?? Srsly?????
(DIR) Post #B2H7WtS6bN2XEAHkVk by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-01-14T12:11:36Z
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@mhstoixeiwmenopip @poleguy They are not "required to have iphones"The school should provide a device that can run the software. This could be a laptop or ipad.For the test it needs to be the "locked down" version (no saved programs) but any device that can run the SAT test can also run desmos. But it's a little messy.
(DIR) Post #B2H7jw7VzgGNGZsEEa by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-01-14T12:14:00Z
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I don't know if desmos is "better" we are no longer buying graphing calculators for students. I have been trying to get the faculty to pay more attention to this issue. Getting my hands on a calculator is what *MADE* me a math person. I think it's incredibly important. Since students will have this software during the test they need to use it regularly as they learn. I'm also annoyed that few faculty seem to understand this.
(DIR) Post #B2H7uiW4uepEGCVHGK by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-01-14T12:15:57Z
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This guide I've made is meant to show just how powerful of a tool we have been handed. Too many math teachers are thinking it's just like the TI calculators they have been using for years. It's not. It is VERY different. Most of the math teachers I talk to are shocked when they get to the "calculus" section and don't seem to grasp the implications of the things it does with fractions. https://www.desmos.com/calculator/4xeklx0h4x
(DIR) Post #B2H8EVjIADSOOV7ei0 by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-01-14T12:19:29Z
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@LunaDragofelis @poleguy They are NOT "required to have an iPhone"It's a browser-based application. When taking the SAT you can take it on a computer or on paper. Paper is being phased out. If the test is on a computer desmos runs on the same machine. If a student is taking the test on paper the SCHOOL should provide a device that can run desmos or the student may use the approve graphing calculators the TI 84 is the most popular but there are others.
(DIR) Post #B2H8IUL3HFpXEqgHia by mjustm@awawa.gay
2026-01-14T12:18:10.950Z
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@futurebird@sauropods.win i think the three answers are it evaluating with i1 = 1, i1 = 2 and i1 = 3
(DIR) Post #B2H8IVvFOANS9Ochm4 by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-01-14T12:20:01Z
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@mjustm Yes. It's just not what I hoped for... and syntactically a little odd.
(DIR) Post #B2H9t1cJ7uUgpQjpFw by gsuberland@chaos.social
2026-01-14T12:37:58Z
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@futurebird the regression engine in there is seriously impressive, too. it instantly converges on decent solutions to nonlinear multivariate equations in most situations.
(DIR) Post #B2H9tiLoF7qZMiLl0i by poleguy@mastodon.social
2026-01-14T12:38:06Z
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@futurebird @LunaDragofelis thank you for clarifying this. I think my daughter, who "hates math" (she's as good as anyone at math) is not aware that desmos is allowed for the SAT or that she should be getting good at it.As a professional I found desmos on my own and was very impressed by its features, although I usually use python for any math/plotting I do. (For documentation and repeatability and to get lots of numbers (data) in and out.)
(DIR) Post #B2HAFiKuydbBgwQIzY by poleguy@mastodon.social
2026-01-14T12:25:30Z
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@mhstoixeiwmenopip @futurebird Sorry, I was exaggerating a bit. The kids all have iphones because Apple has a near monopoly on the market, partly because banking apps mostly only work on android and Apple, and when two kids in the group get talking on iMessage on old WiFi devices without cell phone numbers, they can't talk to kids with android, and the peer pressure effect causes android households like mine to go buy them an iPhone to avoid being excluded at 12 years old.
(DIR) Post #B2HAFjbyEipje7PRD6 by poleguy@mastodon.social
2026-01-14T12:29:24Z
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@mhstoixeiwmenopip @futurebird but they can't use these iphones on the test I don't think because of LLM cheating. So our school requires buying a very specific model of calculator per the syllabus.The school does provide chrome books.I was not aware desmos was allowed on the SAT or that you could use a Chromebook for that test until I read this thread. It seems teachers and students might not either
(DIR) Post #B2HAFkYohvuAacwQvw by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-01-14T12:42:06Z
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@poleguy @mhstoixeiwmenopip Students have no access to an LLM when their device is in test mode. The college board has issued specifications that (in theory) any OS developer could implement so they could be approved as a testing device.it’s all very “other brands are available” per British television standards.As a teacher, my primary concern is ensuring that students can maximize the effectiveness of whatever tools are permitted.
(DIR) Post #B2HAVe8KN6a1I08CXI by poleguy@mastodon.social
2026-01-14T12:44:59Z
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@futurebird I stated looking, and this is a very cool list of all the features. Thanks for putting this together!
(DIR) Post #B2HBDIepZyRBQQ9Msy by poleguy@mastodon.social
2026-01-14T12:52:54Z
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@futurebird I got into programming in part because of my TI85. I loved it.
(DIR) Post #B2HDphTdwtJPJXM6sK by poleguy@mastodon.social
2026-01-14T13:22:12Z
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@futurebird @mhstoixeiwmenopip This is much better than before (again, "per British television standards"), but I still got a letter this year saying that I had to buy my kid one of two different TI branded calculators.So maybe the requirement for this class (or this book) is different than for the SAT. Or maybe the memo hasn't got out to all the teachers (sounds like your experience).During class my kid reports others put all the questions into an LLM routinely during final exams...
(DIR) Post #B2HRD1jQ6lbkCGBk4e by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-01-14T15:52:04Z
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@Harleck I think desmos can fill that role. It’s pretty good. Give it a chance. I’m just a little frustrated to be the only person who is laser focused on how much it has changed: and what those changes might mean for our courses!
(DIR) Post #B2IJlKGP6lFb2kQ7Q8 by llewelly@sauropods.win
2026-01-15T02:03:24Z
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@futurebird to iterate is human.to recurse, well, cursed.
(DIR) Post #B2QGEuffylf9nzm0TA by LibreFaso@hostux.social
2026-01-18T22:01:38Z
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@futurebird Seems interesting.Is that FOSS ?