<p>I'm taking 18.02 and 8.012 (hopefully) this fall. Will I need a graphing calculator for either of these?</p>
<p>There are very few classes at MIT that will allow you to use calculators on tests. So you’ll really only need a calculator on problem sets, where you can have your computer handy for anything you need to calculate.</p>
<p>It’s not useless to bring a graphing calculator to MIT, but I can’t think of a situation in which I actually needed one.</p>
<p>Thank you! In that case I’ll just wait until the second week of term and download MATLAB. :)</p>
<p>I have never used the graphing capability of my TI-83 at MIT.</p>
<p>Wolfram Alpha is also pretty rad, if you ever find that you need a graphing calculator. I used its graphing functionalities during 18.03, but this was because I misplaced my TI-89 in my dorm room. 3.091 lets you use a calculator on the quizzes, so I programmed all the element weights as variables into my calculator so that I could work more quickly on tests (you get a periodic table, but it’s faster to not look things up). Aside from that, I don’t remember the last time I used a calculator at MIT.</p>
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<p>Nerd. </p>
<p>^____^</p>