<p>For the past two years I have been using a TI89, but read that on some math tests you can't use it; you have to have a 83 or equivilent. Is that true? Seems pretty bogus if it is.....</p>
<p>I don't know about whether or not you can use the TI89, but I know one of the possible reasons is that that model can do slope fields for you, and I'm pretty sure it can also take the derivative for you, two functions the TI83 plus doesn't have. Now, if you are a teacher trying to test knowledge on how to graph a slope field.......the reasoning is kind of obvious.</p>
<p>Yeah, I read that too, and I just switched to an 89 from an 83 this year. (I am going to have to learn how to do all the calculus functions on the 83) Hopefully, I can still use the 89 for physics or some other class so it won't be a complete waste.</p>
<p>Actually, I think, for most math tests, you can only use scientific calculators because they don't want the use of graphing tools period on the test.</p>
<p>I have gone through Calc II and Calc III at Wash U, and you definitely cannot use the TI-89. The TI-89 can automatically do many of the things that we were tested on like antiderivatives, definite integrals, derivatives, and a whole lot of other useful stuff, so it's understandable that we could not use it. For Calc II in the fall we could use other graphing and scientific calculators but when I took Calc III this past spring we weren't allowed to use calculators at all. Calc III students last fall were allowed to use calculators, so who knows what the calculator policy will be this year. </p>
<p>BTW, for both semesters of introductory physics, we could use any calculator we wanted including the TI-89 because most of the cooler functions were useless for the exams. For chemistry there are actually only like 4 allowed calculators to choose from, and they're all crappy TI scientific calculators. </p>
<p>Also, if they do the same as they did last summer, they will be sending you some mail that will detail the calculator policy for all of these classes before you arrive on campus.</p>
<p>I have a slope fields program on my 83, and the 83 can also do definite integrals, it just can't differentiate at all or do indefinite integrals... right?</p>
<p>right, but see, a teacher could ask you to clear your memory before a test, and your slope fields program would be gone......not the case on a TI89 since it's programmed into the calculator....
but no, a TI83 can't do indefinate integrals.</p>
<p>There's no way that they would ever tell you to clear your memory. In fact, they're so lax that some people get away with using calculators for tests when they're not supposed to. For Calc I/II/III, exams are taken in big lecture halls and are run buy TAs and there are students from all three classes sitting in the same hall for any given test since tests for each of those classes are usually on the same day. Sometimes one of those classes will be allowed to use calculators while others are not, and with so many students it would be hard for the TAs to tell whether or not you should have a calculator. I don't think this happens that often though, and I definitely wouldn't advise it. </p>
<p>As far as your slope fields program and any other programs, I'm pretty sure that as long as it's on an allowed calculator they can't and won't do anything about it. I don't even think it's technically against the rules to use a program like that. The majority of programs like that would be only marginally useful for a few problems throughout the whole semester. They're mostly worried about people using calculators with computer algebra systems and calculus functions that literally do the work for you.</p>
<p>Also, I think that the TI-83s can actually take the derivative at a point, as in you graph the function, go to a certain point, and get a numerical value for the derivative.</p>
<p>Yeah, the 83s can take derivatives at a point. </p>
<p>This seems like one of the most ridiculous policies I have heard about the school yet. Since a lot of engineers (myself included) will be starting in Calc III with a 5 on the BC AP test, don't they think we can do integrals, slope fields, power series, etc? Thats why we took the test---which had a no calculator party.!!!</p>
<p>I'm taking Math 320 in the fall and Calc III and Differential Equations in the spring. I guess they want to see that you can still remember how to do the basic stuff instead of relying on a calculator. Yeah it kind of bites, but I guess we'll just have to live with it.</p>
<p>@usmacadet2010,</p>
<p>It's not all that bad. Firstly, in Calc III you won't see power series or slope fields or any other major topics that you would have seen in Calc I/II unless they are directly relevant to a Calc III topic. That being said, you will have to do basic integration and differentiation, but for the most part it's pretty easy to do without a calculator. I think that in Calc III it's still reasonable to ask you to be able to do some of these basic things. The major exception is that on the second exam you will probably have to do some particularly annoying differentiation using the product/quotient rule, and if you make any small mistakes it could mess up several questions. </p>
<p>Secondly, they allow you to use a 3x5 notecard on the exams and you can put anything you want on it which means no pointless memorization. I personally think that with the way the tests are written, this is a more useful aid than a calculator would be. Overall, the math department's policies are pretty fair.</p>