Students’ calcs in the 70s/80s

[KF6GPE]

From 1984 to 1988 I had first an HP-15C and later an HP-41CX in high school.

My instructors did not know that they were programmable until I showed them some of the basics of calculator programming. My high school physics/chemistry teacher was the most interested.

All of them took me at my word that I would not use programs, formulas, or registers on exams. I never was asked to clear it.

I suspect that it was an earned trust, too --- by approaching them and showing them what it could do I let them know that I was cognizant that I could cheat, and was openly letting them know that that was the case and that I wouldn't, as opposed to not demonstrating anything and earning suspicion because I was not using a traditional four-function or scientific calculator.

At university the classes were too big to proctor and no one seemed to care, or small enough that it was a similar deal -- approach the instructor or TA, and if they didn't know what it was, explain, and then ask, and usually get approval.

It probably helped in both settings that I occasionally took out a slide rule, too, and used that on class assignments and tests.