too much use of a computer and not enough of the brain
Today, while invigilating, I saw a student type the following code into Matlab:
Y = sqrt(X^2)
And this from a mathematics student!
I wonder if the cheapness of computation leads to such code or would a student with a slide rule attempt the same computation. Ostensibly, the reason we invest so much in advancing the science of computing is that it frees up human minds from the mundane to think higher and better. But does this ever happen? What percentage of the human population when confronted with leisure thinks/creates higher and better?
Y = sqrt(X^2)
And this from a mathematics student!
I wonder if the cheapness of computation leads to such code or would a student with a slide rule attempt the same computation. Ostensibly, the reason we invest so much in advancing the science of computing is that it frees up human minds from the mundane to think higher and better. But does this ever happen? What percentage of the human population when confronted with leisure thinks/creates higher and better?