<p>Seriously, if I had a palm version of MatLAB or Mathematica with me at all times that would pwn. In multivar last semester I checked every one of my answers on hw with Mathematica.</p>
<p>btw, though, for math majors out there: a lot of math departments have banned calculators period for a lot of the reasons your discussing</p>
<p>I LOVE my TI-titanium! lol. it helps me so much....</p>
<p>yes, math majors as well as engineers...they apparently aren't big on letting us use the calculators for math classes. :(</p>
<p>Because too many students only learn to punch the numbers (and now formulae) in rather to use their brain. Calculators should only be used to avoid tedious computations that one could do, given the leisure of time (and paper). Plus "pi" and "e" look so much nicer on paper than decimal approximations like 3.1415926 and 2.781828.</p>
<p>I'm still in high school but I use an HP calculator (48GX I think it is?). RPN is great, once you get used to the chance of making an error because you entered stuff in the wrong order drops way down (as opposed to screwing up parentheses on a TI calculator). Another benefit of using a calculator that has RPN is that most people don't know how to use it, so they won't ask to borrow your calculator.</p>
<p>TI 89 ALL THE WAY
Im waiting for the new n-Spire to come out. Any news on it?</p>
<p>I used an 83+ all through high school, it does its job for Calculus, Statistics, and Physics.</p>
<p>I thought about an 89, but I never got around buying one.</p>
<p>Ti-89 makes life so much easier. If you have a 83, definitely switch because you'll have a disadvantage against people with 89s.</p>
<p>Im not too sure about the “Best” but i have the Casio CFX-9850GC Plus and it gets what i need done. i got it for a really good price too during Black Friday. Schools almost over for me and ive used it like 4 times lol i got it from <a href=“http://www.coolcollegecalculators.com/[/url]”>http://www.coolcollegecalculators.com/</a></p>
<p>I had my HP 50G for more than a year now… I love it. It comes with a cool carrying case too.</p>
<p>HP-12c,
A week with rpn and you’ll wonder how you functioned without it.
For any type of graph, Diffy q, matrix algebra or anything, matlab is infinitely better. You really shouldn’t be working away from a computer anyways.
For anything statistical, stata is the way to go.</p>
<p>@Csegura This was a really old thread.</p>
<p>For calc 1 and 2 we could not use them. Used ti-89 for calc 3 and differential equations.</p>
<p>If an fe calc is required or I just don’t feel like using my 89 I use the casio fx-115es. Best fe calculator in my opinion.</p>
<p>TI-Nspire CAS CX does everything the TI-89 can do and more.</p>
<p>And it’s in color!</p>
<p>If anyone says the Ti-89 is best they are flat out wrong…the Nspire is the complete replacement. It graphs in 3D, uses easy syntax, has a tracker pad/mouse, etc. And it’s cheaper than the 89. I had my 89 for 6 years, but you can’t say it’s the best calculator when theres a complete replacement for it out.</p>
<p>Not to mention you can charge it via usb or plugging it into the wall. No more AA batteries, so it’s lighter than the 89.</p>
<p>Yeah, and considering the TI-89 still costs $100…they must be making insane amounts of profit. I love the thing, and it’s served me well for several years, but if you’re getting a calculator now, the Nspire is a better option.</p>
<p>Although nowadays, with easier and easier access to mathematical software (e.g. Wolfram Alpha), calculators like the ones TI sells are going to become increasingly irrelevant.</p>
<p>I agree with CivilEngr, the Casio fx-115ES is an amazing calculator in that it has numerous built in functions for all the scientific applications you would ever need, including Calculus and you can enter functions and they will go into the precise expression as you would write it. It would be a bargain at $60 but actually costs less than $20.</p>
<p>I was thinking about getting a calculator too and TI-Nspire CAS CX got my attention yesterday now that you mention it.I hear the screen isn’t impresive.I also read somewhere that you can actually put image files into the thing is that correct??I’m a ChE student so I need something to save time during exam etc calculating.Any help??</p>
<p>Haha, always great to see a VERY old thread of mine revived. Heck, I was in H.S. when I posted this and now have already received my undergrad. Thanks for the laughs and giggles.</p>
<p>Yes you can load image files. And the screen is a) in color b) good quality so is many times better than the 89 (I had an 89 for years, the NSPIRE CAS CX screen blows it away).</p>
<p>The only reason any engineer would recommend the ti89 is because he hasn’t used an HP. The 89 has clumsy input methods and is much weaker in capability than the hp 50g. And the HP’s equation writer function is unparalleled in anything TI has, and TI never included any RPN functionality. I have no idea how TI has been able to dominate the market given how awful (by comparison) their products are to HP, but someone earlier mention bribes?</p>
<p>The best calculator for a college level calculus course is any modern scientific calculator. I used a $12 Sharp EL-W516 myself. Graphing calculators are absolutely not needed for Calc I or Calc II although some profs will tell you they are “required”. In reality, the only thing a graphing calculator will do for you that your basic scientific calculator will not is display the graph. Any thing involving graphs and coursework more-than-likely would require you to write/draw the graph on paper to “show your work” anyways. </p>
<p>Calc I and II are 90% algebra. If you are not familiar with your trig identities, factoring, and foil…all of which could be done without a calculator…you might not belong in a college calculus course.</p>
<p>And yes…some profs do not allow calculators in their courses. </p>
<p>For Calc III and beyond, I would recommend a TI-89 (the older one as it can be found for way cheaper used than the Titanium model) or an HP-50.</p>
<p>For a non-graphing calculator, I recommends the TI-30x multi-view. You can perform SOME graphing operation on it. It is also better to read (assuming you don’t want those fat and big calculators)</p>