<p>I researched and researched,for which graphing calculator i should buy ?
questions such as : is spending 140$ on calculator worth it? if yes will it be useful?
But for the answer i need ur answers guys..... i need you opinion guys.</p>
<p>So i ask these questions:</p>
<p>1.Do u really use ur graphing calculators?</p>
<p>2.Can a person survive college (first 2 years) without a graphing calculator?</p>
<p>3.Don't you think that using calculators instead of using pen and paper degrades ur problem solving skills?</p>
<p>PS: i so want a calculator...lol most of the Asian guys have it and when i see them punching on em ... my heart goes beats with a ooomphhh! factor, making me to long for it ,i think i will become more intelligent with it lol</p>
<p>I had an TI-83+ from high school. I wish I spent that extra money for a TI-89. I feel that would have added at .1-.2 GPA points over my entire college career (which is an amazingly high payoff for $150).</p>
<p>ahhaha i knw it is off topic but i just want to mock you :-) lol after going through various forums and sites ... I concluded that HP 50G is way more better than TI series</p>
<p>Really, Payne? I don't think it would've made a whit of difference for me.</p>
<p>FYI about HP vs. TI, it's all opinion-based. Everyone's biased towards what they're used to. You'll get really strong viewpoints each way. I was fed a steady diet of free calculators by Texas Instruments as a small child growing up in Dallas, so it was hard not to escape their immense gravity field, and I'm now biased towards my TI calculator.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Really, Payne? I don't think it would've made a whit of difference for me.
[/quote]
Oh yeah, absolutely. I actually think it was one of my biggest academic failures in college. I'm not even talking about having a graphing calculator...I'm simply talking about the difference between an 83+ & an 89.</p>
<p>but i never i mean...never did i use a calculator to calculate..stuff (except those long multiplications and divisions) i mean i did definite and indefinite integrals...differntiaion equations and applications of calculus...but i mean never did i use a graphing calculator for it...... i just did it with pen and paper solving everything....</p>
<p>so my next Q is does college level maths or physics makes any difference?</p>
<p>I found that anything I couldn't manage with my TI-83 I was better off doing in Maple/Mathematica anyway.</p>
<p>Also, naildirt, while you certainly can do most things by hand, eventually you're going to hit things that you'd have to look up in integral tables or tables of calculated values, and that's just no fun.</p>
<p>It depends. At my school, the vast majority of math professors will not allow you to use them on tests (and discourage their use on homework) because they are trying to teach you mathematical concepts.</p>
<p>However, the vast majority of science and/or engineering professors dont care if you use one because it is just a tool that allows you to solve the problem...we just use calculus to explain and/or understand engineering...at the end of the day, they are testing your knowledge of engineering concepts and not calcluls. Also, the calculator is just more of a convinience in engineering, since it takes away the need to solve mean integrals, etc...however, you still need to be able to interpret the calculus to understand and solve the problem, i.e the derivative is the rate of change, etc. The calculator cannot help you with that.</p>
<p>In short, a TI-89 is just a tool that you can use to make solving some real life engineering problems easier...most of the math associated with engineering is not going to be "pretty" like the math you see in your calculus classes. However, the calculator cannot and does not replace the fundamental understanding that you need of mathematics...afte rall, it just spits out a number; its up to you to interpret what that means, i.e the integral is the area.</p>
<p>I know that we are not allowed to use any calculators in math classes. However, physics and engineering professors don't care what you use. I have gotten by and done well with an 83, however, I would love to have an 89 - I just don't have the money right now.</p>
<p>Sooo, will you use it, yes.
Is it a necessity, no...</p>
<p>Is it worth the 140.00, IDK, maybe... If there's any truth to the GPA coming up .1-.2 points, then by all means yes. But I have doubts that that is true.</p>
<p>Way back when... I did the first 1.5 years of eng. school with a 4 function calculator (with a memory key!) and a circular slide rule. About 1/2 of the kids had TIs that cost $150; about half didn't. It was a ton of work! Then I had the good fortune to work 2.5 weeks over winter break and, with the $100 I earned, I bought a Sharp calculator with log buttons, etc. I sewed the case myself. Years later I opened it up and there was a rubber band inside holding the battery in. /end of history.</p>
<p>So for - what, $40 bucks? go ahead and get and learn to use the better calculator. IMO</p>
<p>Mr. P, how many points did I loose by not having a decent calculator??</p>
<p>It really depends on your instructors educational philosophy;</p>
<p>The kids have high tech calculators, let's give them lots and lots of problems!
VS.
We need to teach mathematical concepts, not problem solving skills.</p>
<p>You have to satisfy the instructor as to course requirements.
You are competing for grades. I would buy the best tool I could afford that is allowed by the course ground rules.</p>
<p>My son had the 83+ and then upgraded to the 89. Tried it, felt some things about it were cumbersome and went back to the 83+. I know he used Matlab and other programs also. Has a 4.0, so I guess the 83+ was adequate.</p>
<p>yes, you will need it to help you visualize graphs in your math courses. Oh yeah, your college level courses are going to make a big difference, lol. Have fun. Yeah, the TI-89 makes a hell of a difference. If you know how to use all of the functions on the bad boy you can be a weapon of massive destruction. lol, I remember when I was in HS, our calc teacher had to take it away from us because we were using the TI-89 to solve everything. The only thing we were writing down on our papers were the answers. It made one hell of a big difference in speed. We would finish our hmwk and exams in under 5 mins. Everyone was making A's. In college you learn how to do everything manually regardless. It is basically used to reinforce concepts.</p>
<p>Yeah, if a professor sees a TI-89 he or she will probably tell you to step outside the classroom, lol. The a an aura about them that gives them away. It always feels good to solve it manually though. Saves back and neck aches from doing problems over extended periods of time. Regardless, you still have to show your work. Also, some teachers might give partial credit for showing your work up until you screwed up. Why are you so worried about a $140 dollar calculator? You'll have books that will cost more than that. It is a good investment.</p>