We're learning binary/octal/hexadecimal number systems at school now, but somehow we're expected to do it without calculators. That was kinda a surprise for me. I was used to having a calculator around to do the hard calculations for me, and when you're doing binary/octal/hexa number converting, the sums are kinda ridiculously long.

Why am I blogging about this? I was thinking about it at class and it struck me that the way the education system here (or at least the school I'm in) might not be all about the results. I'm hazarding a guess, but I think the reason that calculators are used in Singapore is that the school is after the right results. After all, with a calculator, you can hardly go wrong right?

Here, to take a phrase from Calvin's dad, they don't use calculators cause it's character building. Seriously, do the binary to decimal conversion of a long number by hand and you'll appreciate that calculator more.

Then again, it might just be more intelligent to use a calculator. After all, students will still have to know the basics to get the right output from their calculator right? Anyway food for thought.

Oh, and the lecturer taught decimal binary conversion (you know, 1011.01101) wrongly. I had to correct her. Idunno what that says about the quality of education I'm getting.

Quick geek joke. There are 10 kinds of people in the world. Those who understand binary and those who have friends. :D