Can you explain why the fourth root of 9.1 is practically the same as 33/19? You shouldn't use even a calculator!

(In reply to re(2): I has to use a calculator a little. by pcbouhid)

The younger generation seems to have lost the ability to calculate manually, due no doubt to the ubiquity of calculators.  You, however, are not of the younger generation, and therefore should be able to calculate manually by yourself.

There are tricks to every trade, and you will notice how cleverly I obtained the 4th powers by squaring the squares.

Jer, of course, had an excellent approach to solving the problem, even though he seems brainwashed by the calculator culture.

I recall clearly that after we were taught long division in the 3rd grade, we were then taught how to extract square roots -- this was in 1949 in Fort Dodge, Iowa. We did not know that we were manually performing algorithms then.

Posted by Richard on 2005-06-06 21:35:50