Calculators

Can someone please tell me which graphing calculator is the better one to use. The choices are between a
TI-86 and and a TI-89 graphing calculator. I am a junior in high school, Im going on to college and am going to take higher math and science classes. For those of you that are familiar with these calculators can you please give me your imput. Thanks a lot in advance

-Dagger

No one has anything to say
Any opinions would really help.

-Dagger

I'm looking for a graphing calc myself as well. So, please do help!!!

I'm sure that the Google ads will provide some guidence as to which ones to look out for.

Here are some features of the TI-86
education.ti.com...

Lots of stuff of the TI-89
education.ti.com...

Hope this helps.

I took many math and calculus courses in university. I never needed a graphing calculator.

the 89 has a few more things it can do, so depending on the price difference, it's the way to go... My TI-86 was fine though, back in the day...

Man, I can't believe they really haven't changed much since then....


Coolest part was the ability to store notes (like Chemical equations...) My instructor was older than dirt, and didn't have a clue they could do that,

i hAve an 89 and i like it i used 86 back i high school and those were nice but i like my 89 Dynomite

Originally posted by Gazrok

Coolest part was the ability to store notes (like Chemical equations...) My instructor was older than dirt, and didn't have a clue they could do that,

We weren't allowed to bring any graphing or programmable calculators into any exams for any courses.

We weren't allowed to bring any graphing or programmable calculators into any exams for any courses.

This was a teacher's choice when and where I was... As I mentioned, she had no idea they were even capable of that, hehe...and she was the type who would actually check your battery case to see if you had hidden notes there! That was the funny part! It was sheer principle....I had the equations in my head anyways, but it was pretty funny to see her checking those battery cases, while others would snicker, hehe...

LOL Gazrok.

Interesting how when I replied to this thread, it became active all of a sudden.

That's it, I'm getting a calc from Santa this Christmas!

Bah! I don't need no stinking calculator, I was blessed with 19 of them..or wait 1 2 3 4..OHHH hehe! I mean 20 :bash:

Dagger, fix your signature so your kitty comes back. I llike the kitty.

My boys are both juinors and use the 89. They like it.

BG

Mag, only 20? nevermind. lol

There are some googles links on the side that might help.

Originally posted by greenkoolaid
Dagger, fix your signature so your kitty comes back. I llike the kitty.

I like it too!

Calculators are useful, but you don't always need them. For me, I only use them to do logorithms, exponents, roots, and all that algebraic crap. For adding/subtracting long lists of numbers and long multiplication, I can do easily in my head, so I don't need a calculator.

Why do people always use their graphing calcs to play games? Graphing isn't fun enough for them?

I suggest a Hewlett-Packard calculator. Yes, they are likely more expensive, but my experience has been they are worth the extra outlay. I've one that has been working through fire and ice for 22 years now, my HP-12c. It looks like a tank ran over it, but it still works. The other has been working flawlessly for 12 years now.

Best of all, H-Ps employ RPN for data entry. (And the newer ones have both RPN and algebraic entry.) Trust me, the effort to learn RPN is very much worth it. (I don't understand why people even use algebraic, except possibly out of laziness or ignorance.)

Note: RPN = Reverse Polish Notation

That's great and all, but most curriculums are geared towards the use of the TIs....so if you're planning on using an HP, you better learn how it works pretty well, as nobody in your class is going to be able to help you....

Originally posted by Gazrok
That's great and all, but most curriculums are geared towards the use of the TIs....so if you're planning on using an HP, you better learn how it works pretty well, as nobody in your class is going to be able to help you....

First, as a note of humor, it's the TI users that are out in the cold in my classes. ("Gee, you use a TI? Sorry, can't help you there. I told you at the beginning of the semester I was a H-P kinda guy.")

Taking the H-P route is iconoclastic, but I recall the TI users being the ones who came to me for help. (They still do. And, I've converted a few TI users to H-P over the years.) H-P's calculator user manuals are quite excellent.

If you want help with the calculator, the quote is correct. I *strongly* suggest reading the manual back-to-front as soon as you buy any calculator. Almost every problem aside from the math itself will come down to whether or not you did that.

If you want help with the math, the brand of calculator doesn't matter. They all reach the same outcomes. However, the importance of process to that outcome is not to be slighted. I much prefer the H-P's process to outcomes/answers. Of course, YMMV.