advice on calculators?

<p>So I lost my TI Nspire CAS when I took the sat's back in october. I still can't get it back. And now I need to buy a new one.</p>

<p>I can't decide between Nspire CAS and Ti 89. They are both eligible for AP exams.
I had an Nspire CAS, so I'm familiar with its functions and characteristics, but not sure about 89. It will be the one not only for AP exams, but also for college level math and financial calculations.
(Btw, not interested in other TI calculators.)</p>

<p>What do you guys think?</p>

<p>i have a ti 89 and thoroughly enjoy it.</p>

<p>go for what you're comfortable with.</p>

<p>thx for your reply, stephennn.
so anything special you feel about 89?</p>

<p>I don't have extensive first-hand experience with the Nspire, but I can tell you that the features that the Nspire has seem extraneous. The 89 is strong enough to handle anything you will do in college - the Nspire seems like it was made for those who want a more intuitive user interface. And I love my 89. :)</p>

<p>I think the 89's have more support from both programming communities and educational infrastructures, mostly due to it having been out for longer (it came out in 1998... over a decade ago). I should think an 89 will last you through college, and be cheaper than a TI-Nspire CAS.</p>

<p>Make sure to try it out, though. Ask to borrow an 89 from a friend and if you feel infinitely more comfortable with the Nspire, take that one instead. A calculator is a personal tool; you should use what you feel best with.</p>

<p>Thanks guys!
After further deliberation, I still want to get a CAS. haha. since it has a faster CPU and larger memories than 89. The prices of them are about the same.
But I'll still borrow an 89 and try it out.</p>

<p>I don't think a faster CPU or a larger memory will matter for the day-to-day activities of the calculator... the only way those could make a difference is if you use programs, and the CAS seems to suffer from a horrible lack of them at this time (just look at the pathetic TI-Nspire</a> section from Welcome</a> - ticalc.org, which is probably the number one repository of programs for texas instrumental calculators on the internet).</p>

<p>I am a junior and am hoping to take SAT Math IC or IIC (still undecided) in May. My math teacher - to be kind - is HORRIBLE. I have never heard of pre-calc and I was quite blown away that alot of what's in the Kaplan prep book I got is in my textbook. I have a plan that guarentes at least 3 hours a day for the next month. Sorry if it sounds like endless complaining, any way my question is I have a Casio scientific calculator the fx-82ES to be exact. It can do some things, but would it be to my disadvantge to have this calculator? The other calculators some people mentioned cannot be bought with the budget I have at the moment. What should I do, or is my studing better than any calculater?</p>

<p>You can do all questions on the test without a calculator, I believe, but it would definitely be to your advantage to use a graphing calculator like the TI-83, at least. It might only help you for 2 or 3 questions, but near the top 2 or 3 questions make quite a bit of difference in points. Can't you just ask somebody to lend you a graphing calculator during the exam (and preferably sometime before so you have time to become proficient with it)?</p>

<p>Thats what I am going to try to do. The problem is I cant find ANYONE that owns it. I am not in America and none of my friends are taking SAT2 with me so I am pretty much on my own.</p>