Without computers, we would need to work out difficult math problems on paper. This is still true in math tests, where the teacher would give students a few pieces of paper so they can work out their problems. Usually, students can ask for more paper, if needed.
I don't know a specific word for this kind of paper. I was guessing that it might be working paper or jotting paper, but they don't sound quite right.
What should I call this kind of paper in English?
Best Answer
The usual term when I was in school was scratch paper—scraps of paper you "scratch out" calculations and notes on, to be discarded after results have been fair-copied into your exam answer or essay.
A working paper is usually either a) a report on a "work-in-progress" or b) a "working" version of a paper which is still in development and not yet ready for submission or publication.
The traditional term in textual criticism for an author's manuscript draft, often full of strikethroughs, insertions and corrections, is foul papers, from which a "clean" version or fair copy is made.