<p>I'm super dependent on my TI-89. It loves me, and I love it. It whispers sweet nothings into my ear and I do lovely on my un-lovely tests.</p>
<p>At any rate, does this mean that I'm going to get anally raped in college? Specifically UCB-EECS coursework?</p>
<p>Boo!</p>
<p>Wow, that's a new analogy.</p>
<p>In some mathematics courses at universities, Berkeley included, professors do not allow calculators on some portions of the test. An 89 would make do deriviatives, integrals, etc. way too easy. But then again, you were admitted as an engineer and thus, I would assume you wouldn't need to take the first two calculus classes in the single-variable.</p>
<p>I'm not at Berkeley, but my counselor/former mathematics teacher who has sent many students to Berkeley and other universities conveyed that info to me about calculator use.</p>
<p>In the end, it's really based on the difficulty of the class and ultimately, the professor.</p>
<p>at McGill a calculator is not allowed in any calculus courses. I think in upper math it is allowed on a limited basis.</p>
<p>psshh thats a silly rule...embrace technology!</p>
<p>Sure its not right for someone to need a TI-89 to find the integral of 2x+5 but if you are an engineer...you wont be doing many complex operations by hand. Sure you will need to know how they work to set them up, but its not with the time to do things by hand if you can set them up and have a computer do it in half the time.</p>
<p>TI-89's are A-Ok on the AP calculus test (though there is a no-calculator portion) because they realize that the calculator cannot just do the math but requires knowledge of the process.</p>
<p>I am a happy user of an 89 and although it lets me check my answers on calc tests (it can be done on an 83 as well, just takes more time and the functions are more hidden) I still have to know what I am doing in order to show my work and set up the problem. If I gave my calculator to someone who didnt know what they were doing, they would struggle just as much because they dont understand how the math works in order to apply the calculator to the problem.</p>
<p>One caveat...I suck at basic math and the calculator is my time-saving savior.</p>
<p>I'm at Berkeley, and you can not use any calculator in calculus 1A and 1B (I'm not too sure about the other math classes, but I'm sure the rule still holds true).</p>
<p>im trying my hardest to not become dependant on my 89. its really a major issue ;).</p>
<p>TI-89s are officially the greatest creation known to man.. I would suggest even if you are not allowed to use them in class, be familiar with how to use them. Calculus can be simplified even more with the help of such technological wonders!!</p>
<p>I used to be dependent to my TI-89, but managed to deal with advanced (accelerated) calculus in my first semester without my lovely TI-89. Just understand and apply the concept as much as possible and you'll be fine.</p>
<p>We weren't allowed to use calculators in high school calculus.</p>
<p>I'd be really surprised if you were allowed to use it in your math classes as the whole point of learning calc is to be able to do it WITHOUT your 89. ;)
After that go nuts as no one cares beyond the math department usually.</p>
<p>yup...no calc at my school</p>
<p>You can use it on the AP test. There are just parts where you cant and those parts are the ones with the "easy" (as in easy numbers to work with but any rule being fair game) differentiation and integration.</p>
<p>The calculator is a tool and if I am going to use it to get a value from an integral, why not just skip the middle step and use it to find the integral and the value.</p>
<p>The point of introductory calculus is to learn is to learn how to do elementary calculus. You need to be able to know what your doing. That's why they are not going to let you use 89s or any calculators for that matter. At the same time, unless your professor/instructor is a sadistic person, he or she is not going to give you any problems on an exam that you can't easily do by hand. Just wait until you are in advanced calculus/higher math and doing derivatives and such is to the subject material there what arithmetic is to intro cal. That's when the 89s become vital.</p>
<p>even AP calc gets to that point. </p>
<p>The test REQUIRES a graphing calculator (and an 83 can still evauluate integrals, just not spit out indefinate integrals) and there are parts where the directions all but tell you to use the calculator to evaluate (solids of rotation, etc). It still requires you to know how to set up the math.</p>
<p>The stuff that is meant to be done by hand is in the by hand section.</p>
<p>adding to otto's point, some of the integrals are made to be impossible to do by hand. (int[sin(x^3)] anyone? it appeared on an old ap practice that we did). you essentially set up the integral, go through the work for finding bounds etc...then type it in and write an answer (to no less than three decimal places, mind you!).</p>
<p>:)</p>