Whiteboard vs Chalkboard

Welcome back, 

Because you are reading this blog, you are probably contemplating going to a STEM school, which probably means you probably like STEM. Across all disciplines of STEM, there exists an ongoing debate of whether chalkboards or whiteboards are better. 

If you were born after 2000, like me, you are probably more familiar with whiteboards. In fact, you probably even had them at your high school, middle school, or elementary school. I was much more familiar with whiteboards up until the time I came to Mudd. My high school math teacher had told me about how wonderful writing in chalk is, but I had never experienced the satisfaction myself… until Mudd.

Physics 023: Special Relativity taught me more than just Special Relativity. Every Monday and Wednesday morning I have the privilege of working on  recitation problems on a chalkboard. The pieces of chalk give a satisfying click when they hit the board, and then glide smoothly across. The friction between the piece of chalk and the surface of the board make writing easier to control. Whiteboards on the other hand do provide the same amount of control or satisfaction. 

Yes, whiteboards do offer better ranges of color, but is it really worth it? Every time I go to erase a single letter with my finger, there is some kind of residue that always seems to get on everything. Chalk is notoriously dusty, but chalk dust can be easily brushed off and or washed from clothing. 

The good news at Mudd is that no matter if a room has chalkboards or whiteboards, there is always a good supply of markers or chalk. Also, the erasers and the boards are almost always in a pristine state of cleanliness.