Calculators What's your favorite calculator?

[QuarkCharmer]

The only thing my university seems to worry about is the ability to differentiate, hence Calculus I tests cannot be taken with the TI-89. From Calc II and up, they don't seem to care what you use though (the TI-84 can find definite integrals, but not indefinite or differentials).

The major reason I like the 89 over the 84, is not for it's derivatives or integrals or anything like that though. It's simply because you can just arrow over and start typing (as you can on a computer) to edit equations. It also keeps all your past intermediate values that you can simply copy. I don't understand why the TI-84 does not have this feature. It's a pain to re-type intermediate values, and to press insert every time you want to add something. I also really like the custom menu system on the 89 and the Matrix Editor app that it ships with. It's much easier to just input rref([x x x],[x x x],[x x x]) than it is to bother typing all that stuff into the 84.

 

[ArcanaNoir]

Funny thing is that most of the students don't know how to use their graphing calculators well enough for it to give them much advantage over a standard scientific calculator.

I made learning to use my calculator effectively a part of my homework. When I would do a problem set, I would consult my calculator manual to see what my calculator could do that was relevant to expediting the problem and confirming my answer. I always had to show all my work anyway, so it really was mostly to confirm answers.

 

[stringy]

 

[zomgwtf]

I made learning to use my calculator effectively a part of my homework. When I would do a problem set, I would consult my calculator manual to see what my calculator could do that was relevant to expediting the problem and confirming my answer. I always had to show all my work anyway, so it really was mostly to confirm answers.

Yeah, same basically. They really are invaluable tools for checking answers. As I said above my calculator has saved my butt on numerous occasions.

@Quark, I'm sure there's a program that you can install to have your 84/89 do differentials. I mean on mine I downloaded games even! There was also this nifty program that solved some physics problems you just had to know which equation to use and it would show ALL the steps.

 

[Proton Soup]

I considered the 15C, but I finally decided that for the kinds of calculations I did (and still do), complex numbers, matrices, and numerical integration weren't worth the higher price, so I went with the 11C.

Last summer I found a good deal on a HP 50g at Best Buy and bought one, but I haven't really had the time to teach myself how to use it effectively yet. The 11C is still my workhorse at home.

mine was paid for with a small scholarship. otherwise, the high school TI would have gotten a lot more mileage.

 

[Redbelly98]

My favorite calculator is Excel.

2nd favorite is any solar-powered scientific calculator, of the non-graphing type. If I want a graph, I'll use Excel and have the option of saving the graph for future reference.

For the last 10 years I've been using the solar version of this:

[PLAIN]http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/public/39rJvE1sIWQYuswLuw2fd-iuHRJVLwlFDF-AVJiToaPf2_8tvW7B4H3quDqig44_A9CtZQjffI5BEXChlh6u5D5dKgrQh-0Gq6NYGgtTA7_DsLUXDp-v5AWeZARzPvMkV5Sm4lFgYRF2VNtGqgzKtl3tbzipDbBxr2v3PRPZE0ktUSxMsu4raA[/QUOTE]

I also own a TI 83+, mainly because I tutor math and the TI 8x's are so pervasive in the American education system.

I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for my very first calculator - an HP35 I purchased in 1973 for $395. That was a huge amount of money back then but well worth it.

My dad got hooked on HP programmable calculators in the early 1970's, and used/played with them pretty exclusively until he died in 2006. He never really made the jump to computers, though he owned a DEC Rainbow for a little while in the mid 1980's.

 

[SW VandeCarr]

The best calculator ever!

I just calculated the 12th root of 2 to 9 places in a fraction of a second on my old TI-30Xa. Can your brain do that?

 

[Integral]

I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for my very first calculator - an HP35 I purchased in 1973 for $395. That was a huge amount of money back then but well worth it.

Ha! I bought mine used for $175 in 1973, I also got a lot of use out of it. Right now it is in its hard case in my closet.

My current calculator is a HP 28s. This is the first graphing calculator, on the market in 1986.

Redbelly,
Sorry for the loss of your dad. I too "collected" HP calculators in the '70's . I had the 35, a 25, 33,34, 71b and the 28. I never owned the greatest HP calculator the HP41c.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

I just calculated the 12th root of 2 to 9 places in a fraction of a second on my old TI-30Xa. Can your brain do that?

1.059463094 I think.

 

[QuarkCharmer]

1.059463094 I think.

I just memorized this answer so my brain is able to do this next time.

 

[zomgwtf]

Ha! I bought mine used for $175 in 1973, I also got a lot of use out of it. Right now it is in its hard case in my closet.

My current calculator is a HP 28s. This is the first graphing calculator, on the market in 1986.

Redbelly,
Sorry for the loss of your dad. I too "collected" HP calculators in the '70's . I had the 35, a 25, 33,34, 71b and the 28. I never owned the greatest HP calculator the HP41c.

All of these old calculators seem incredibly tedious to operate.

 

[BobG]

I just calculated the 12th root of 2 to 9 places in a fraction of a second on my old TI-30Xa. Can your brain do that?

1

My brain was smart enough to remember that your final answer shouldn't have more digits than the original numbers that went into the problem in the first place. Since the square root of 2 is less than 1.5 and I know the answer can't get below 1 no matter how many roots you take, that answer was pretty easy.

Getting 9 digit answers when the numbers in the problem only had 1 significant digit is one of the drawbacks of calculators. Ever since the introduction of electronic calculators, just about every math or science course now needs to start with a chapter about significant digits.

 

[ArcanaNoir]

1

My brain was smart enough to remember that your final answer shouldn't have more digits than the original numbers that went into the problem in the first place. Since the square root of 2 is less than 1.5 and I know the answer can't get below 1 no matter how many roots you take, that answer was pretty easy.

Getting 9 digit answers when the numbers in the problem only had 1 significant digit is one of the drawbacks of calculators. Ever since the introduction of electronic calculators, just about every math or science course now needs to start with a chapter about significant digits.

Significant digits only count in science, not in math. Pi goes forever, and so does the square root of two, and every other irrational number. We can take them as far as we like in pure mathematics, regardless of the length of other numbers in a calculation.

 

[SW VandeCarr]

Significant digits only count in science, not in math. Pi goes forever, and so does the square root of two, and every other irrational number. We can take them as far as we like in pure mathematics, regardless of the length of other numbers in a calculation.

Yes. There's also a practical value to taking the 12th root of 2 to a desired level of precision. It's the constant multiplier of the fundamental frequencies across an "octave" (actually 12, not 8 tones). So taking a base frequency B and using B*2^{x/12} where x is an integer 0\leq x\leq 12, gives the fundamental frequency of the tones across the "octave".

 

[I like Serena]

Significant digits only count in science, not in math. Pi goes forever, and so does the square root of two, and every other irrational number. We can take them as far as we like in pure mathematics, regardless of the length of other numbers in a calculation.

Exactly, so in pure math we never need a calculator to calculate digits!
*Sigh*

 

[Redbelly98]

When pi comes up in mathematics or theoretical physics, it is represented as \pi. In engineering or experimental physics, 3.14 usually suffices. In neither case is an infinite number of digits required.

 

[hotvette]

Ha! I bought mine used for $175 in 1973, I also got a lot of use out of it. Right now it is in its hard case in my closet

Wow, good price. I didn't even consider used. I unfortunately sold mine in 1984 for $5 in a garage sale (including original hard case, leather soft case, charger, and manuals). Big mistake.

 

[glueball8]

Aww you beat me to it...

Thanks to it, I don't know how to solve integrals by myself anymore. ==

 

[Astronuc]

HP-41CX. I bought that during grad school, ca. 1982, and I still have and use it.

Before 1982 I had a TI-SR51 and TI-58C.

 

[zgozvrm]

I've always been partial to Sharp calculators. The first calculator I ever had was a TI (natch). They were the only ones available when handhelds first came out - they had those awful red LED displays. In college, I found a Sharp EL-512 which was around $30 and was programmable.

That was the beginning of my love affair with Sharp calculators. I have yet to find an inexpensive (< $20) calculator that I like that beats a Sharp. They have plenty of functions and (more importantly) their keyboards are generally laid out better than those of other companies.

Later in college, I found that many of the "rich" students were using HP calculators with RPN. I found those intriguing and ended up buying an HP 32SII (also for around $30).

It, too, is programmable, allowing for much more complex programs (albeit, with greater difficulty). After college, I found a newer Sharp to replace my trusty old EL-512 which had broken. I got an EL-520W for around $20 which has become my new favorite.

It does everything I need (including complex numbers) and even does simple derivatives and integrals.

A co-worker had this horrible Casio calculator that was extremely difficult to use (even for simple calculations). I bought him a Sharp EL-531X which is very similar to my EL-520 (lacking some of the more complicated functions) for $10 at Office Depot.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

I used to have that Sharp in the first image zgozvrm! Good times!

 

[jhae2.718]

My calculator:

When I'm not on a computer, I have a Ti-84, though I just bought an HP-50 to replace it.

 

[imabug]

My HP-28S has been serving me well for the past 23 years and has been my favourite calculator to use. Recently acquired a second one off ebay so that I'd have one for work and for home

 

[S.R]

Scientific calculator: TI-30XS MultiView™

 

[gmax137]

I have an HP-32S bought new in 1990. In the past few weeks it has started missing zeros when I enter numbers (some problem with the key). Too bad, I really like the calculator. I hear the new ones are crap, anyone have any good tips on a replacement?

 

[Rogerio]

I have an HP-32S bought new in 1990. In the past few weeks it has started missing zeros when I enter numbers (some problem with the key). Too bad, I really like the calculator. I hear the new ones are crap, anyone have any good tips on a replacement?

The HP35s is the way!

 

[AlephZero]

I have an HP-32S bought new in 1990. In the past few weeks it has started missing zeros when I enter numbers (some problem with the key).

Just figure out how to take it apart and clean the gunk out of the keyboard. You will probably by surprised by what has got in there, over the years. It should then by OK for another 20 years!

Warning - before you take it apart, make sure you have a drawing or a picture of where all the keys go, otherwise you will probably be guessing which function key goes where when you rebuild it. It is usually possible to take a calculator apart so all the keys DON'T fall out in a heap - but only after you have done it wrong the first time, and learned from your mistake!