This petition was submitted during the 2017-2019 parliament
Rejected petition Allow RPN calculators in public examinations (such as GCSEs and A Levels)
RPN calculators require the student to understand the order of operations of their mathematical expression, rather than simply copying an expression from the page into their calculator. Algebraic and textbook entry calculators encourage bad habits and inhibit mathematical understanding.
More details
RPN (Reverse Polish Notation) was a popular input logic for calculators during the late 20th century. As technology improved, calculator manufacturers rushed to make calculators easier to use. Students can now blindly copy an expression from their page into their calculator and get an answer without any understanding of the mathematics, which causes problems as their progress academically. The use of RPN calculators in examinations would encourage a deeper understanding of the mathematics.
This petition was rejected
Why was this petition rejected?
It’s not clear what the petition is asking the UK Government or Parliament to do.
We're not sure exactly what you'd like the Government or Parliament to do. RPN calculators don't seem to currently be forbidden from use in GCSE or A-level exams.
You could start a new petition explaining clearly what you would like the Government or Parliament to do. For example, you could start a petition asking for maths students to be taught how to use RPN calculators.
We only reject petitions that don’t meet the petition standards.