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| USE of CALCULATORS in the UIL SCIENCE CONTEST The UIL rule for the use of calculators in the science contest, on page 90 of the CC&R, states that the calculator “cannot have built-in or stored functionality that provides scientific information, and cannot have wireless communication capability. If the calculator has memory, it must be cleared.” The use of graphing calculators is not prohibited. The requirement is that the memory must be totally cleared. For many graphing calculators, this means that you must select “all” when choosing which memory to clear. Several people have asked for clarification about specific calculators, but there is no longer a single approved list of calculators. Coaches and contestants should be careful that the calculators they select do not violate the restrictions of the rules. Dr. Denis Kohl, UIL state contest director, believes that a calculator such as the HP 33s, which provides a short list of physics constants, is allowable because a list of physics constants is included on the test, so no additional scientific information is provided that would benefit any contestant. However, he will not allow a student to use a calculator that will accept memory cards or memory sticks, as these could be reloaded after calculators were cleared at the beginning of the contest. Instructions for clearing the most commonly used calculators can be downloaded from the following link: Instructions for Clearing Calculators, courtesy of Tony David Potter of Texas Competitive Mathematics. Competitors may bring a spare calculator into the contest room, but if both calculators were disallowed, the student would have to take the test without any calculator. Science coaches, not contestants, should be prepared to assist contest directors in seeing that all calculators are completely cleared prior to the beginning of the contest at the district, regional and state contests if needed, just as coaches should be available to assist in grading.
(4) Calculators. A simple scientific calculator with the following formulas is sufficient for the science contest: +, −, ×, ÷, %, √, 10×, log ×, e×, ln ×, y×, sin, sin-1, cos, cos-1, tan, tan-1 with scientific notation and degree/radian capability. The calculator must be silent, hand-held and battery operated. The calculator cannot be a “computer,” cannot have built-in or stored functionality that provides scientific information, and cannot have wireless communication capability. Graphing calculators that do not have built-in or stored functionality that provides additional scientific information are allowed. All memory must be cleared. Calculators that accept memory cards or memory sticks are not permitted. Each student may bring one spare calculator. |
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