Question for all you college TI Calculator users.......

[MuZI]

- The main thing is to check if he is allowed to use that TI-89.

I love mine to death but in freshman year I had to pick up a TI 84plus because Pre-Calc teacher said TI-89 was a no-no.

Most people use the TI 83 still and in calculus when we're required to download/program stuff (left sums/right sums...) the instructions are mostly for TI 83 owners.

But who knows, all my teachers said they never used graphing calculators and they're doing quite well

 

[jbloudg20]

Does he NEED the 89? No. He can get along just fine with an 83+.

Will he benefit form an 89? That depends on his future teachers.
For Calculus I and II, Multivariable Calculus, And Linear Algebra, I was not allowed to use a calculator PERIOD.

For Differential Equations I was allowed to use an 83, 89's were forbidden.

 

[trains are bad]

I'm a senior physics major, I've taken Diffeq, Electrodynamics, Calc-3, mechanics, thermodynamics and linear algebra, and I've yet to use anything but my Sharp scientific calculator. I have a TI-89 I traded a paintball gun for somewhere, but I've never used it. Everyone else seems to walk around clutching them like thier lifeblood; perhaps I'm missing something.

 

[seanohue]

Should I get one? I'm taking AP Physics this year and I have not gotten to derivatives in my Calculus class yet. It's like the second day and I'm already lost lol. Everyone else in my class has had calc and many are in AP calc. I took H Alg II last year and took Pre-Calc over the summer, which put me into H Calc/Analysis this year.

 

[patschreyer]

Go for the TI84... same button/keystroke layout as th TI83, BUT adds USB connectivity so you can load programs as well...

 

[slwiser]

Contarian here

HP 50G all the way....I have the HP48SX and the HP49G.

I love the CAS system of the HPs. Google HP and CAS to see what you get.

Note CAS ---> Computer algebra system

Check out this web site for the computer based CAS system.

http://www-fourier.ujf-grenoble.fr/~...e/english.html

 

[jbloudg20]

Quote:

Originally Posted by slwiser Contarian here HP 50G all the way....I have the HP48SX and the HP49G. I love the CAS system of the HPs. Google HP and CAS to see what you get. Note CAS ---> Computer algebra system Check out this web site for the computer based CAS system. http://www-fourier.ujf-grenoble.fr/~...e/english.html

Athough HP makes some nice devices.. it is not the standard. In this case, it is usually better to get what everyone else gets (TI) because there are more people around who can show you how to do something you may not understand.

Also, especially in high school, the teachers tend to teach keystrokes for TI's. It just makes things much easier.

 

[Samgotit]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ojnihs I've been using a Ti-86 for years and couldn't be happier with it personally.

Oh yea. Love the 86.

If he can't use the 89 or doesn't need it, the 86 is what I would do. The conversion feature (length, area, volume, time, temp, mass, force, pressure, energy, power, and speed) has been absolutely invaluable to me. I do wish it had USB capabilities.

Something else you may consider: as of now I believe most colleges and high schools that require a graphing calculator default to the 83/84. These classes will be taught with examples from the 83/84 (usually from an overhead). If you "know" other TI models well enough this should not be a big deal.

 

[patschreyer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Samgotit If he can't use the 89 or doesn't need it, the 86 is what I would do. The conversion feature (length, area, volume, time, temp, mass, force, pressure, energy, power, and speed) has been absolutely invaluable to me. I do wish it had USB capabilities.

The TI84 comes with a conversion utility too...

Also, calculates significant figures, works with atomic units... etc.

The only thing about it is that I don't know how to get it to calculate in fractions, like my scientific calculator... can it even do that?

 

[slwiser]

You are right in that the TI is what everyone else uses. But I really don't think that teachers teach learning anymore from my observations. They like the students to learn what they will as they will. Teaching keystrokes is not teaching real knowledge as far as I am concern. What good are keystrokes if you can't think?

This is not what this thread is about but if I were to have to become a drone then the TI-Ti would the the drone machine for me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbloudg20 Athough HP makes some nice devices.. it is not the standard. In this case, it is usually better to get what everyone else gets (TI) because there are more people around who can show you how to do something you may not understand. Also, especially in high school, the teachers tend to teach keystrokes for TI's. It just makes things much easier.

 

[patschreyer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by slwiser You are right in that the TI is what everyone else uses. But I really don't think that teachers teach learning anymore from my observations. They like the students to learn what they will as they will. Teaching keystrokes is not teaching real knowledge as far as I am concern. What good are keystrokes if you can't think? This is not what this thread is about but if I were to have to become a drone then the TI-Ti would the the drone machine for me.

There's truth in that, but imagine if you're trying to follow along with a teacher demonstrating with a TI83 Plus... it's already hard enough to follow along and take notes at once, but having to figure out how to do it on YOUR calculator?

It'd probably be fine once you got to higher level university courses, but for a highschool pre-calc course I wouldn't want to be the one left scrambling. Besides, having a calculator similarly laid out makes it much easier to collaborate with other students, e.g., "hey, how did you get that answer?"

 

[jbloudg20]

Quote:

Originally Posted by slwiser You are right in that the TI is what everyone else uses. But I really don't think that teachers teach learning anymore from my observations. They like the students to learn what they will as they will. Teaching keystrokes is not teaching real knowledge as far as I am concern. What good are keystrokes if you can't think? This is not what this thread is about but if I were to have to become a drone then the TI-Ti would the the drone machine for me.

I wan't saying anyhting about teaching methods or becoming a 'drone' but implying that buying a TI makes you a drone is proposterous.

Sorry but a TI will suit him the best. Period.

 

[slwiser]

Again this is a correct take on the situation.

But, I would think if this kid is got what it takes he is probably teaching the teacher (again my take of the teacher situation toay) at this point and whatever needs to be communicated would be child's play for him to make the transition.

By the way, these HP calculators do algebraic by setting a flag. So it can work just like a drone machine.

Again, if TI is the one to get, get the TI-Ti which is the most capabile machine they build. My experience before going HP was that I needed two TIs with me to ensure that one would work. Maybe they are better today.

Quote:

Originally Posted by patschreyer There's truth in that, but imagine if you're trying to follow along with a teacher demonstrating with a TI83 Plus... it's already hard enough to follow along and take notes at once, but having to figure out how to do it on YOUR calculator?

 

[patschreyer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by slwiser Again this is a correct take on the situation. But, I would think if this kid is got what it takes he is probably teaching the teacher (again my take of the teacher situation toay) at this point and whatever needs to be communicated would be child's play for him to make the transition. By the way, these HP calculators do algebraic by setting a flag. So it can work just like a drone machine.

What do you mean "got what it takes"? My brother took pre-calc last year.. it's peanuts. Even his current highschool calculus class is nowhere near university level... it's more to give them a grounding for when the DO get to university calculus.

 

[slwiser]

More than likely he will have to take remedial courses anyway since they really don't teach this stuff in high school. Virginia has some of the best high schools in the country and almost invariably every high school student that I know has to have the same courses in college to get grounded before starting the more rigorous stuff anyway.

Quote:

Originally Posted by patschreyer What do you mean "got what it takes"? My brother took pre-calc last year.. it's peanuts. Even his current highschool calculus class is nowhere near university level... it's more to give them a grounding for when the DO get to university calculus.