<p>Just wondering what type works best. </p>
<p>It looks like anything goes for the test, including calculators like the TI-89 that can do derivitaves for you. Does that mean I should buy a fancier calculator that my SAT-grade TI-84, or should I try and plug some programs into it and use it?</p>
<p>I’m not sure what you’re asking. If you’re asking what calculator you should get, that’s kind of subjective because different people have different preferences. Go with the one you’re most familiar with if you don’t feel like learning all the new commands for a TI-89.</p>
<p>I’ve used an 89 before and it could be tremendously helpful if you’re on the calculator portion of the test and need to input derivatives or integrals quickly (it gives you the answer)! But, if you don’t practice enough on your own, using an 89 right away could making your free-hand deriving or integrating very crappy, resulting in a bad score on both “no calculator” parts of the test.</p>
<p>buy ti-89
learn / practice all commands
???
profit</p>
<p>There frankly aren’t really any problems on the calculator section where you’re expected to calculate a derivative by hand. Those questions are asking for the derivative at a point, something that you can do on the TI-84 as well.</p>
<p>Personally, I don’t think you gain anything with the TI-89, and if you’re comfortable with the TI-84, I’d simply stick with it.</p>
<p>Thanks for the help, everybody.</p>
<p>TheMathProf - Good to hear. I can do a derivitave at point without a problem. I was just afraid that they would make me do someting like:</p>
<p>Find the derivitave of:</p>
<p>y=(radical(sin2x-tan4x))/radical(csc5x*secx)</p>
<p>On test day. :)</p>
<p>I can’t imagine they’d go that crazy with the derivatives on test day, and even if they did go that crazy, they’d do that one on the non-calculator section. They won’t really go much past some of the more basic problems in each of the different derivative rule sections.</p>
<p>Besides, everybody should have to get an answer of 1/2<em>[(sin 2x - tan 4x)/(csc5x</em>secx)]^(-1/2)<em>[(csc5x</em>secx)(2 cos 3x - sec^2 (4x)) - (sin 2x - tan 4x)(csc 5x<em>secxtanx - secx</em>csc5xcot5x)]/[csc5x*secx]^2 once or twice in their mathematical careers. 
Just not on the AP Exam. :)</p>