The first problem to be solved is that most introductory math education is still about calculating and not about applying mathematical principles to real problems. I think that being able to estimate a solution is a valuable skill, but for many problems with a high degree of precision (lots of decimal places) or large numbers, this just becomes problematic.
I'll definitely admit that at the end of a string of transformations of complex numbers, integrations, and other things, the last thing on my mind is guessing whether my solution is close. Understanding all the steps that lead up to that point is more crucial (and worth more marks!). The only thing I worry about is whether I typed the equation into the calculator correctly to get my final result.
That being said, when students are first learning about a new 'operator', like when learning division, multiplication, logarithms, and exponents, this could be a useful tool for enhancing a student's intuition about how that operator works. But after that, I'll stick with a normal calculator.
The first problem to be solved is that most introductory math education is still about calculating and not about applying mathematical principles to real problems. I think that being able to estimate a solution is a valuable skill, but for many problems with a high degree of precision (lots of decimal places) or large numbers, this just becomes problematic.
I'll definitely admit that at the end of a string of transformations of complex numbers, integrations, and other things, the last thing on my mind is guessing whether my solution is close. Understanding all the steps that lead up to that point is more crucial (and worth more marks!). The only thing I worry about is whether I typed the equation into the calculator correctly to get my final result.
That being said, when students are first learning about a new 'operator', like when learning division, multiplication, logarithms, and exponents, this could be a useful tool for enhancing a student's intuition about how that operator works. But after that, I'll stick with a normal calculator.