RE- TI Nspire CX CAS vs Casio Classpad vs TI 89

[mcintyrelr20]

HI y'all! I was just told by my programming teacher that I need a new graphing calculator. She told me to decide between the TI 89, Casio Classpad fx-cp400 (or fx cp500) or the TI-Nspire CX C.A.S. I don't know if greyscale or color matters though in the long run. I am a programmer and need something more advanced, but still easy to use. I am also learning higher math right now (calculus, linear and abstract algebra). What would you recommend out of those three? Thanks- mcintyrelr20
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[CalcNerd]

It is hard to believe a programming instructor would recommend the Ti-Nspire as a it is a pretty closed system. The Casio system is far newer and more modern than the other two. The Ti-89 is a very capable, but lacks color and touch screen vs the Casio.
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Is learning programming or math the main objective. Some calculators are more aligned to be math tools than calculators, the Ti-Nspire being a prime example. It is a Math tool to learn math with, but an awful calculator to crunch numbers.

 

[mcintyrelr20]

Programming is the main objective, but i also need to know some math. Thanks for your feedback!

 

[mcintyrelr20]

What is a closed system? I know open source software (Such as Linux) let's you edit the source code. Would the cx cas be good or should i go with the 89?

 

[CalcNerd]

Actually for a simple programming platform, all are fairly good. But you will be learning BASIC or a derivative of BASIC. I would use whatever the instructor plans to use. However, all of these calculators are limited in features and functions compared to any language that you can use on a PC. In fact, if you have access to a laptop, you would be better off using that, than learning any calculator programming. But that is only my opinion.
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[mcintyrelr20]

Thank You! I ended up going with the Nspire cx cas. Thanks for your feedback!

 

[Mark44]

I don't understand why your programming instructor is saying that you need a calculator, particularly a graphing calculator. I've taught many programming classes over the years, in Basic, Fortran, Pascal, Modula-2, C, and C++. There was never a need for the students to have a calculator of any kind.