When I was attending El Camino College, all the engineering majors were required to take a one-semester class in slide rule. The spring semester of 1972 was the first year they allowed calculators in math classes, and our slide rule instructor, whose name I regretfully have forgotten, was not particularly amused. He said “a calculator is a machine that will give you the wrong answer to fifteen decimal places.” That was a pretty insightful statement, and one that I’ve never forgotten.
My dad made me learn
