Re: A better calculator, for what?
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Re: A better calculator, for what?
Usually you can't go wrong with what the class recommends. If they
recommend and 83, get the 83, and you'll be fine. If you get anything
else, be prepared to learn the manual, because most teachers are trained
only for the calculator they teach with. Many people in my school with
85's or 86's have learned this the hard way.
If you do want to learn the manual, then go ahead and get a more
advanced model, but choose carefully, because some of the lower ones
contain functions higher ones don't. The only time I would recommend
getting a different calc than what your school recommends is if they
still recommend a 82/85. Then you should get the 83/86, respectively.
Here are some pros and cons of the different calculators:
73 - A middle school calculator. Should be about $90. Realtively new,
and based heavily on the Math explorer. It has flash rom like the 89,
but I still don't see the point in this calculator (but maybe middle
schools do?). I would recommend an 83 over the 73. I don't think a 73
will do you much good in high school/college
80 - A stripped down 82 without a linkport. Limited ram, a budget
calculator at $50. I have never seen any of these being used by
anybody, or anybody recommending them for a class.
81 - TI's first. Has the honor of being the only discontinued graphing
calculator so far. Probably will be joined by the 82/85 soon. It is
crude, has no linkport and limited ram. I still see them floating
around though, and the local Best Buy still has one for sale for $99
(get a clue!). The 83 is a much better choice.
82 - Early 83. Still sold, same price as an 83. I don't recommend
buying one. No strings vars for you programmers.
83 - Simple to use, classroom standard. Probably easiest to use.
Doesn't have more powerful features like the Poly solver and base
conversions. If you are going into an advanced stats class, this calc
is a must. It has the best stats of any TI calculator. It is the only
one with built-in finance features too.
85 - I would avoid this one. It is past it's prime. Crude stats, no
table, no deep recall. It is only the 2nd graphing calc TI made.
86 - A newer 85 with a 3x the avialable memory. Has all the features of
the 85, and 83 style list/stat/matrix editor. Also has more 83
refinements, such as a table, deep recall, and graph styles. However,
the stats are not as good as the 83, and no finance functions. There is
a stats upgrade avialable. It makes the 86 more like the 83, but it
still lacks things like a normal probability plot. It is also somewhat
unstable, but I think TI is working on that. There is also an upgrade
to give you finance, but I have never used that. The 86 is also slower
than te 85, due to the increased memory being paged. It is about $25
more expensive than an 85, but worth it if you are looking at the 85.
89 - This is the newest TI calculator. It it a lot like the 92+,
lacking only a bigger screen, a QWERTY keyboard, and Geometry. The 89
also has a ton of ram, 512k. I have never used an 89/92, but they have
3d graphing, and some advanced calculus features. They also have a very
nice looking OS, and seem hard to use to me (and would be very diffucult
to follow along in a class made for a 83/86). They also have a very
powerful Motorola processor, when compared to a 82/83/85/86's Z80. The
89 is about $30 more expensive than a 86, and about $50 more than a
83/86. It is a lot cheaper than a 92/92+. The stats are not as good as
the 83 though. Upgradeable through flash rom.
92 - This calculator is very large, and has a QWERTY keyboard. It is
predecessor of the 89. It has some powerful calculus, but lacks things
like base conversions. The 92+ upgrades the calc's ram, and adds some
more features. It is banned on the SAT, ACT, and many teachers won't
let you use one either. 92 fans like the 89 because teachers never
suspect a calculator that looks like 83 :) The 89 is banned from the
SAT, but allowed on the ACT BTW. The 83/86 are accepted on both. The
92 is very expensive, and the 92+ module adds about $75.
Hope this clears things up for ya.
Todd
Ladnor Geissinger wrote:
>
> I have just been on the CALC-TI mail list for a few weeks, but I'm
> struck by the number of questions about what calculator should you buy,
> and should you upgrade to a 85,86,89,92 etc. Also there are those who
> proclaim with certainty that you should get an 89,or ... These
> exchanges are curious because there is almost no context provided,
> except sometimes the statement that you are taking calculus or precalc,
> and there are no reasons given (something more than a word or two, a
> thoughtful argument with enough details to be understandable if not
> believable) for why certain calculators are being recommended. I have
> used an 81, 82, and 83, but not a lot, and I don't see why I should
> suggest to my calculus students that they really should have an 86 or 89
> or whatever. For the occasional need for more power or bettter graphics,
> or to use interactive math workbooks, of course one turns to a computer
> algebra system with a reasonable size monitor.
>
> I would like to hear from those who make strong recommendations in favor
> of the 86 or 89 or 92 - and not just one-liners, but carefully thought
> out, detailed responses. And don't tell me about games, I'm only
> interested in arguments about calculator use for learning and doing math
> in school and college. (Well, I might listen if you spin a serious
> thesis about the role of certain kinds of games.) What more is it that
> you want that the 82 or 83 doesn't provide, and why? And why wouldn't
> this "more" be better provided by a CAS on a PC?
>
> --
> Ladnor Geissinger, Prof of Mathematics
> Mathematics Dept, CB 3250 Phillips Hall
> Univ of North Carolina, Chapel Hill NC 27599 USA
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