what is the best calculator?

Legendofdeep

I am currently a junior in high school. I have a TI-84 plus silver edition. My parents are letting me give my old calculator, the TI-84, to my sister and let me buy a new calculator. What would be the best calculator to get? I am planning to be an engineer and need a calculator that is approved on standardized tests.

ideasrule

What do you need it for? Many tests allow only scientific calculators, not graphing ones. However, if you're planning to take calculus or statistics, you definitely need a graphing calculator. I'd say the TI-83 and TI-84 are both good because they're the most common. You definitely don't want a calculator that nobody else has, or else you'll spent all of class trying to figure it out like I did last year.

Legendofdeep

I'm planning to take calculus throughout high school and college. Which one did you have, TI-89?

physics girl phd

I'm really a big fan of the under $10 solar-cell type (with trig functions). Buy a few of these, and keep them in various places around the house, in the office, etc. Of course, I'm the type to misplace such things as keys, cellphones, etc. (and drop expensive cellphones). I do still have my TI-something high-school/college calculator somewhere in my office, but it has a solvent "burn hole" from organic chem.

I know at least one person online here who will likely point you to a slide rule.

Jack21222

I'm a huge fan of the TI-89 for the classes that will let you use them. In general physics 1, the "solve" function on the calculator saved me from having to do the quadratic equation by hand many times, and it's a breeze to solve systems of linear equations in their matrix, and then use the rref function (reduced row echelon form).

Legendofdeep

Was it difficult to use?

Jack21222

No, it's quite easy. The problem is, I don't know if they're allowed on standardized tests, and some classes disallow them. My first physics professor was an electrical engineer, and he said he used the TI-89 all the time in his engineering work.

ideasrule

I had a TI-86, and its interface is very different from that of the TI-83.

Legendofdeep

I'm thinking about getting the TI-Inspire? Does anyone have it or used it before.

jtbell

Please note there are a lot of threads about calculators in the Computing & Technology forum, where this thread has been moved.

twarren

Try this **powerful** virtual calculator online:

http://www.vroomlab.com/nhome

on 1st page, click on the calculator image to get access without login in.

it works with computer, ipad, smartphomes.

dacruick

I say get yourself a CASIO scientific calculator. You can use it on all the tests you need to. Graphing calculators are sweet, but in university calculus we weren't allowed to use calculators at all. but yeah, I love the CASIO.

Legendofdeep

Basic scientific calculator? That would not help me that much.

turbo

Do you have a strong preference for where you will attend Uni, and for what courses you want? If so, contact the engineering school and ask for their guidelines, so you'll know what calculators are allowable for tests. Your current TI-84 might be the most advanced calculator allowed, so you wouldn't benefit from an upgrade unless the school loosened their rules. You have plenty of time... Good luck!

dacruick

Those are contradictory statements then. Why don't they just let you bring in your C++ Compiler . There is nothing above a basic scientific calculator which will be allowed in any test.

Legendofdeep

Graphing calculators are allowed on the SATs. Do all colleges forbid graphing calculators on tests?

jhae2.718

It depends on the school, I think. Where I am, the math and physics departments don't allow calculators of any kind (physics exams are symbolic, math exams have contrived numbers such that calculations are easy), the chemistry department only allows scientific calculators, and the engineering department allows all calculators.