Calculators Could you suggest me a good TI calculator?

[rohanprabhu]

i have decided to buy a good TI calculator. The cost isn't really a factor.. since almost all of their calculators come under 349 USD.

My area of work is mostly calculus-based physics and analytical geometry [coordinate geometry]. In mathematics, i'd also be needing features for basic basic statistics and probability computation.

Advanced algebraic support and data visualization is a must in addition to vector algebra and vector calculus. From what I saw at their site, one of the Graphing calculators would be a good option with me, because I deal with a lot of function plots and data visualization. And since programming is one of my hobbies, I'd also need a programmable calculator which can be programmed with the TIGCC library.

And since i already have Mathematica with me and do most of my stuff with that.. the only reason i want a calculator is for portability [a laptop is going to cost a lot more :P].. so the smaller the better.

Also.. is there any calculator which has some specific set of functions for chemistry based applications?

so.. please drop in any suggestions if u have. thanks a lot :D

 

[arunma]

I would strongly suggest the TI-89. It can simplify algebraic expressions, do basic (and a few not-so-basic) integrals, and some other useful stuff. It won't substitute for your physics knowledge. But my good ol' 89 saved me on my PhD qualifier (no seriously, I would have failed if not for its diff eq solver), so I'd recommend it to practically anyone in the physical sciences.

In regards to vector algebra, it can do dot and cross products. It can allegedly also do coordinate transformations, though I've never dared to actually try this. It can also do vector calculus...sort of. You'll need to turn double, triple, line, and surface integrals into iterated integrals by hand. But once you have it in this form, you can plug it into the 89 and get an expression. Not sure what you mean by data visualization, but it can graph continuous functions and sequences. As for programming, I don't know what the TIGCC library is, but the 89 has some sort of programming language. I've seen people write some pretty impressive programs for the 89. It can even play Super Mario. Not that you want to use your calculator for games, but if it can do this, then I'm sure it can do some pretty useful mathematical applications.

Anyway, hope this helps.

 

[rohanprabhu]

thanks a lot for the reply.. even i was thinking of the TI-89 since it's quite a popular model. But.. what do you think about the Voyage 200 or the TI-92 series? The only reason i didn't want to go for it was that it might be bulky and as i said.. portability was a major concern in my case. It's photographs hardly give me an idea of what it's real life size is..

I do know that the Voyage 200 qualifies as a computer and is not allowed in SAT exams and stuff.. but the exams that i have to give in India don't allow any calculator at all.. so it doesn't really matter to me.

Not that you want to use your calculator for games..

actually.. i do plan to :D

 

[Cyrus]

TI-89 is all you need.

 

[razored]

Are you simply referring to the TI-89 or TI-89 Titanium?