S1 question

Hi i am currently in year 11 and did my GCSE in year 10 with a non D.A.L. calculator "Texet albert squared". This year the sixth form college i am going to are letting me take M1 and S1 in June but not any pure modules. I was wondering if for S1 i could get through the exam with the calculator i had or do i need a graphical calculator? Working out the Product moment correlation coefficient without a graphical calculator can take quite long. Also i am not sure whether i could afford a graphical calculator as they might be too expensive for me and not sure how much they cost? So, will i need a graphical calculator for S1.

Thanks alot.

Reply 1

yusufu

You can get a suitable calculator from WHSmith for £6.99.

Reply 2

Kolya

I completed the exam with a similar calculator, a better one is by no means required.

Reply 3

Jaswarbrick

That calculator is a scientific calculator, which i already have, but do i need a graphical calculator for S1?

Reply 4

yusufu

There's no need for a graphical calculator at all in A level maths.

Reply 5

Expression

YYYY

There's no need for a graphical calculator at all in A level maths.

Infact because most such graphical calculators have text storing abilities, it is against rules to take graph plotting calculators into the exam hall.

Reply 6

Robob

Expression

Infact because most such graphical calculators have text storing abilities, it is against rules to take graph plotting calculators into the exam hall.

No it isnt....

All of my exam papers (I do OCR) said 'graphic calculators are permitted' on the front apart from C1 which was a non calculator paper

Reply 7

henryt

rpotter is right --- All they require you to do is clear your calculator of any programs... Not that anyone probably checks, but hey!

Reply 8

alla

Candidates may use any calculator except those whith the facility for symbolic algebra, differentiation and integration. In my view graphical calculators are great.If you can, invest in one, there was a thread recently in the As-A level page whith some sites where you could buy one. Second hand is also an option.

Reply 9

Robob

henryt

rpotter is right --- All they require you to do is clear your calculator of any programs... Not that anyone probably checks, but hey!

Yer I didnt think that they checked, at least they never had before, but in my FP1 exam in january they did, although i wasnt cheating so it was ok

Reply 10

The D

Jaswarbrick

That calculator is a scientific calculator, which i already have, but do i need a graphical calculator for S1?

I don't think you need a graphical calculator for S1. That's not much Graph sketching in that paper.

Reply 11

Jaswarbrick

Well the reason i ask is that the Heinmann S1 books say to work out the PMCC and line of regression on a calculator, and my scientific calculator at the moment can't do that.

Reply 12

The D

Jaswarbrick

Well the reason i ask is that the Heinmann S1 books say to work out the PMCC and line of regression on a calculator, and my scientific calculator at the moment can't do that.

I see. In the real exam, you will be required to show the steps anyway. But you can use a graphical calculator to check you answers.

It's not worth buying one if you only need it for S1

Reply 13

Expression

I stand corrected and informed.

However, as for the OP needing a graphical calculator to calculate Pearson's Coefficient - I don't understand why you would, as it's the use of the formulae and plugging the data provided into such a formulae that the examiners are interested in, and will credit.
You won't have on a graphical calculator an automatic button that gives you the coefficient, you're still going to have to plug the numbers in.

You clearly must have learned a formula for regression, again it's just a substitution exercise in typing into a calculator; and any scientific calculator suffice.