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Calculator of choice?

Calculator of choice?

Calculator of choice?

(OP)
Hey all!

My trusty TI-83 Plus decided that it no longer wants to work so I am in the market for a new calculator.  I still have my bare bones one from that I bought for the FE but I can't program it to do repetative equations.  What is everyone's calc of choice?  I am leaning towards a TI-89.  My plan is to be in grad school within the next 5 years as well so I would want to use it for that as well.  

RE: Calculator of choice?

This is like discussing religon. People get emotional.
I, like you, burned through my share of TIs and Casios. But I saw the kids at work were all using HPs. Once you get through learning the RPN (it really only takes a couple days), you'll never want to go back. They're very solid. They last for many years.
Of course, the problem is that they really don't make the workhorse HPs, like the 48GX or the 41, anymore. You might be able to get a refurbished 48SX or GX aftermarket. They have programmable capabilities, where you can input your own equations. They've reissued the 15C which I just got, but I'm not familiar with it enough to go through the programming.
I'll leave it to others to discuss the TI's and others.

RE: Calculator of choice?

I tried using RPN when I was in college, but just couldn't get used to it. It felt unnatural to me. To this day I still use a Casio fx-4000P programmable scientific calculator. It saw me through countless homework assignments as well as every exam I had in graduate school, and both the FE and PE exams. It never let me down. Awesome calculator, even by today's standards.

Maui

www.EngineeringMetallurgy.com

RE: Calculator of choice?

I like any TI that I have bought - they seem to make sense.  I still have my old SR50 (I think) from 1974 and it works if I can get a battery to fit!!

RE: Calculator of choice?

HP-15 just got reissued.  Great little calculator.  Uses RPN. I just bought one.

Now have HP32S, HP33S, HP15, HP41CV, HP45, and HP12C.  Use the 32S daily.

Unbeatable!

eBay has a variety of HP calcs available...some new, some used.

RE: Calculator of choice?

Still have my HP 48GX from college days (though I haven't used it much since then).  At the time, I didn't like the TIs... no reason anymore to bother with either.

Dan - Owner
http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com

RE: Calculator of choice?

Ron,
Has HP re-issued the 11C also? I've been using mine for 25 years and the replace battery light has been flashing for about 2 years. (crap- I wish I hadn't done the math on how long I have been using this- now I feel old)

RE: Calculator of choice?

I like the HP because nobody wants to borrow it because they cannot figure out the RPN

RE: Calculator of choice?

still have my Casio 115ES and work on it daily ! Great one

RE: Calculator of choice?

I still miss the Casio FX9700GE (I think that's right) that I had through A levels (junior & senior year of high school) and the first 2.5 years of university until it went missing (I think it fell out of my bag in the computer lab).

Never really got used to any of my calculators in the same way since then, I've tended to use programs on the PC for anything vaguely complex/repetative.

Posting guidelines FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm? (probably not aimed specifically at you)
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RE: Calculator of choice?

I use a Casio fx-9750g  its programable.
and it seems that nobody wants to steal it, like they did with my TI 59 and Hp calculators.
B.E.

The good engineer does not need to memorize every formula; he just needs to know where he can find them when he needs them.  Old professor

RE: Calculator of choice?

I've used TI calculators, and I have been happy, except for the battery issues. My latest is a TI-68, but I don't think it is programable.

Many years age I had a bout with a boss who want me to show my work. After excel came along I never wanted to program a calculator again (I also did not have to show my work).

I doubt my former boss looked at my work anyway.

RE: Calculator of choice?

My HP 48GX died so I bought an HP50g...awesome calculator but very expensive.  

Since I needed a non-programmable calculator for a series of exams I am doing, I discovered the Casio 115ES.  What an amazing machine!!! For $15-$20 per, buy a few.  Highly recommend.

RE: Calculator of choice?

Ti-86 that is old and cranky and is missing lines on the display.

http://xkcd.com/768/

RE: Calculator of choice?

One other thing to consider.  If you plan on taking the PE or SE, they are restrictive on what calculators you can bring in, especially the SE.  You don't want to spend years being accustomed to a calculator and all your programs then find out you can't use it for the exam and need to buy another one anyway.

(If you are done with exams, ignore the above)

IC   

RE: Calculator of choice?

Hawkaz....don't know that the 11c has been reissued.  Very similar to the 15c though.

11c prices on eBay are high.  Saw one for about $60, but all others were > $150.

15c reissue is $100

RE: Calculator of choice?

While I'm RPN almost exclusively, have you considered the TI nSpire? http://education.ti.com/educationportal/sites/US/productDetail/us_nspire_cx.html  

Color display!!; WAAY better graphing than TI-83, and possibly even the TI-89.  Lots of neat functions like prime factoring; ability to create documentation, although that's probably easier done with the PC-based emulator of the calculator); the document sheets basically make it a programmable calculator, except that it's using readable algebraic notation.

Actually, I've got the CX as well as the monochrome CAS calculator, which has some interesting functions of its own.

TTFN

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Chinese prisoner wins Nobel Peace Prize

RE: Calculator of choice?

If my decade + old TI85 died, I think I'd go with the TI89.  I've used it and it is nifty, especially for doing symbolic math!  Though, that nSpire looks pretty nifty too.

Looking at Amazon, it looks like TIs still rool the roost in graphing calculator market share, if that matters to you.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/office-products/172523/ref=pd_zg_hrsr_op_2_5_last

BTW, there are also such things as TI emulators which you could use to test drive a few different models before purchasing one:

http://www.ticalc.org/programming/emulators/software.html

The same website also offers a nice roundup of differences and family lines in the TI lineup:

http://www.ticalc.org/basics/calculators/

RE: Calculator of choice?

HP has my vote.  RPN is like greased lightnin'.  I've used a 28s for 25 years, the same one, very durable.

RE: Calculator of choice?

I've shifted completely to iPad with Numbers. Really like it for meetings and etc.

Hydrology, Drainage Analysis, Flood Studies, and Complex Stormwater Litigation for Atlanta and the South East - http://www.campbellcivil.com

RE: Calculator of choice?

Nokia N900 with AlmostReal Ti85 emulating a TI86, I have and prefer my Casio CFX-9850G but it doesnt fit in my pocket and as such never have it when I need it.

Designer of machine tools - user of modified screws

RE: Calculator of choice?

Nothing against the Polish people - I am probably related to some - but Reverse Polish Notation just strikes me as an anomaly??

RE: Calculator of choice?

HP 48GX, but it finally decided that the buttons would stop working.  So now I am using the closest thing in feel, HP 35s, and should still be valid for the tests.  I will also use a HP48 emulator on my Android phone if I forget my calculator.  But its just not the same as a physical keyboard.

I love RPN.

B+W Engineering and Design
Los Angeles Civil and Structural Engineering
http://bwengr.com

RE: Calculator of choice?

RPN is praised for speed, but speed has never been an issue for me in my work, nor was it while taking the PE exam.

Conversely, a meaningful visual representation (i.e., it looks like the equation I'd write out by hand), accuracy of entry, and the ability to easily verify that accuracy are of supreme importance, both in my work and taking the PE exam. So I've always preferred calculators with algebraic entry and a history or ticker-tape.

I no longer carry a dedicated calculator, just as I no longer carry a dedicated camera or music player; it's another task for my Android smartphone. Unfortunately, I haven't found what I would consider an excellent calculator app. They tend to mimic the old-school calculators to a fault - a jumble of fixed function buttons and a tiny window for input and output.

There is an app called Mathlab Calc that is being actively developed and shows promise. It uses a web-service as its calculation engine, however, so without an Internet connection, it doesn't work.

(The old Windows Mobile had some excellent math applications, including a version of the MathCAD-like SMath Studio and MathTablet.)

Rob Campbell, PE
Imagitec: Imagination - Expertise - Execution
imagitec.net
 

RE: Calculator of choice?

I am still kicking it with the TI-85 that I bought in 1992.  I found one at a garage sale a few weeks ago that I keep in the closet in case then one goes out.

 

RE: Calculator of choice?

I have 3 powerful CAD progams at my fingertips on the PC, 4 if you include Excel, for all my complex calculations.
My calculator needs are as follows, "should cost less than $20". Yeah, I'm cheap but also, anything like taking a log or a sine is much quicker on a cheap calculator than typing the numbers into the PC. Anything more complex is more quickly accomplished by a CAD program.

RE: Calculator of choice?

It is surprising that a calculator on a phone wouldn't have a different interface, something more geared towards the technology.

I am so used to RPN that I don't know how to use a regular calculator very well.  Its sometimes embarrassing if I have to use someone elses.

B+W Engineering and Design
Los Angeles Civil and Structural Engineering
http://bwengr.com

RE: Calculator of choice?

You would think developers would take advantage of the technology, but I suppose there is marketing value in mimicing something someone is (or someone's mother or father was) familiar with in the real world. Check out the images of what the developer claims is the most popular Android calculator, RealCalc

RE: Calculator of choice?

Quote (Maui):


I tried using RPN when I was in college, but just couldn't get used to it. It felt unnatural to me. To this day I still use a Casio fx-4000P

   Lucky you.  

   I miss my Casio FX4000P.  It was stolen when someone broke into my car.  They took my crappy old back-up pair of glasses and my briefcase.  The Casio was in the briefcase, and worth perhaps $1.22CDN.  The briefcase was new, and the only remotely valuable thing they got.

               JHG

RE: Calculator of choice?

Used a TI-89 all the way through college, was great for converting polar to rectangular numbers and back, but you can do that with any "slightly advanced" scientific calculator.

I'd buy a cheapo TI, Casio, or HP and use Excel, MathCad, or similar if you need graphing capabilities.

 

RE: Calculator of choice?

You can get a TI-83 emulator app for your phone, as long as you own a working TI-83.

RE: Calculator of choice?

I had a TI calculator when I first started college. The keyboard started flaking out on me in the middle of a final exam. At the end of that test I threw it into the trash and bought a HP-15c. Used it for 20 years before the enter key stopped functioning. Been using my dad's 11c for the past 3 years. When I saw HP was reissuing the 15c I bought 2. RPN just seems the most logical to me.

RE: Calculator of choice?

Same thing happened to me with a TI (55, I think). The 2 key started acting flaky. I would push it, and it would register twice. It ticked me off so much at work that I threw it in the trash. The next day, it was back on my desk. The cleaning lady must of figured that it fell in the trash by accident, so she pulled it out. So I had to wrap it up and put it under some other stuff, to finally kill it once and for all.

RE: Calculator of choice?

I still use my HP 200LX.  Does great equation solving for the missing variable and I have it stocked with all my short cut equations.  You should see the look of the young engineers when I bring this puppy out at meetings...  :)

RE: Calculator of choice?

One of these days I'm going to learn to use an abacus... pull that puppy out in a meeting some day, do some fast and furious calculations, then proclaim everything is fine.

Which is going to be even more odd for me as I'm a programmer... beads, bits, whatever.

Dan - Owner
http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com

RE: Calculator of choice?

HP-11 person. RealCalc Plus on my Android looks and acts like a HP. I miss the HP keyboard but the tactical heptoid (whatever that is) feel and the RPN makes up for the loss of my HP.

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