# The coolest damn calculator.... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 14, 2001, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-coolest-damn-calculator/61937 "2001-04-14T09:41:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Gozu\_Tashoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7993a0/32.png) [@Gozu\_Tashoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu_Tashoya)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2001, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-coolest-damn-calculator/61937/1 "2001-04-14T09:41:49Z")
Whichever one that may be, I don’t have it. (Or any grammar skills at the moment.) I’ll need one though. Gonna be taking higher maths - Calculus and everything related - in a few months, and haven’t used a graphing calculator since the TI-83 I had in high school. So tell me, what’s the calculator I’ll need to actually survive calculus this time around, and what neat tricks can it do? ---
**Author:** ![AETBOND417](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@AETBOND417](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AETBOND417)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2001, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-coolest-damn-calculator/61937/2 "2001-04-14T18:28:20Z")
I use the TI-86 and have done so for a while. As I understand it, you will not be taking the SAT or any other standardized tests. In that case I recommend the slightly more expensive TI-89. Much better than the 86 in terms of solving equations. I know of only one person who has the 89, but that’s due to the above-stated reason concerning testing. ---
**Author:** ![Podkayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Podkayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Podkayne)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2001, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-coolest-damn-calculator/61937/3 "2001-04-14T18:35:44Z")
I was lucky enough to have a class that was taught specifically using a Casio graphing calculator. Thus, I actually learned how to use _all_ the buttons and menus, and do all the stuff that’s highly non-intuitive. When my high school one crapped out, I bought the next generation model, though I had to hunt high and low to find it. (Casio seems to have lost market share to TI big time.) I haven’t figured out all the buttons on this one, yet, but it does what I need to do: integration, equation solving, statistics, and the new one even does functional fits to data points, though it does them slowly–but that’s a handy ability to carry around in your pocket, if you’re the sort of person who needs to do that on a regular basis. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2001, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-coolest-damn-calculator/61937/4 "2001-04-14T20:19:33Z")
I bought a Casio fx-451 in high school. IMHO, it was the best all-around calculator ever made. It worked flawlessly all through college, and I still use it (I’m now 33 y.o.). Too bad it’s not made anymore. ---
**Author:** ![LifeWillFall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/46a35a/32.png) [@LifeWillFall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeWillFall)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2001, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-coolest-damn-calculator/61937/5 "2001-04-14T23:41:56Z")
I would agree with aetbond417, the TI-89 is probably the best I’ve used especially for calculus considering it does symbolic intergration and will give you exact answers which teachers in calculs classes like so much. I think it also does 3 dimensions which will become an asset in your 3-rd semseter of calculus, but like aetbond417 said you can’t use this thing on AP tests or the SAT’s so I think some professors might ban them also, just something to think about, I used an 83 all though calculus and statistics and it worked fine for me ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2001, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-coolest-damn-calculator/61937/6 "2001-04-15T02:45:49Z")
Coolest calculator I’ve used? Why, the one I’m still using: Canon Ai Note IN-5000. What makes it so cool as a calculator (only one of its many functions, the IN-5000 being an electronic organizer) is that there’s no keyboard - I just write the equation on the touch-pad and when I enter the = sign, it displays the answer. For higher order functions, there’s a touch-screen “pull-down” menu for selecting them. Got it in 1992 and still use it every day. Only drawback is if you don’t read & write Japanese - it was built for “domestic consumption” in Japan. ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Sang](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ee7513/32.png) [@Le\_Sang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Sang)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2001, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-coolest-damn-calculator/61937/7 "2001-04-15T03:05:19Z")
Ooh, Ooh! I just got one and it is the coolest toy of the year 🙂 Got a TI-89; it handles everything up to (and including) imaginary numbers and indefinite integrals, as well as most of what’s needed for differential equations; in fact the first math class I’ve encountered for which it cannot perform every task is my Complex Vars & Applications class (which uses a few tricks I never dreamed of, so I guess that’s not suprising.) Oh - with regard to the concerns over testing; I haven’t encountered anyone that forbids it yet. The only problem I can think of with the 89 is that it’s pretty expensive - probably best to look at online auction sites first. Happy calculating, Le Sang Math Nerd Extraordinaire ---
**Author:** ![City\_Gent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a87d85/32.png) [@City\_Gent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/City_Gent)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2001, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-coolest-damn-calculator/61937/8 "2001-04-15T05:17:15Z")
I just have two words for all you TI geeks: **Hewlett Packard** Get a used HP-48GX on Ebay. It’ll calculate and graph circles around anything TI has ever made. ---
**Author:** ![Monster104](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Monster104](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monster104)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2001, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-coolest-damn-calculator/61937/9 "2001-04-15T05:36:20Z")
The ACT is the only test I know of that forbids the TI-89. I have one, and used it on both the SAT and SAT-II. It’s quite nifty. I spent the first few weeks fiddling around with it to find out all the cool tricks. Oh, and **City Gent** …one of my friends had a HP. He said it sucked sour monkey ass. He returned it and got an 89, which he says is far more useful. ---
**Author:** ![LoverBoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@LoverBoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LoverBoy)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2001, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-coolest-damn-calculator/61937/10 "2001-04-15T05:45:16Z")
I own one. Important points: - Way faster than any other TI graphing calc - Legal on most standardized tests (unlike it’s big brother, the TI-92+) - Can give answers symbolically (i.e. when asking for sin(45), it gives me sqrt(2)/2 except the sqrt is a nice little symbol) - Pretty print (writes roots and fractions as they would actually be written on paper) - Solvers for all kinds of neat stuff (algebraic eqns, sums (sigma), complex factoring, etc) Yes, I am a total nerd. :rolleyes: For me, the best place to purchase was from a catalog called Calculators, Inc. I believe their website is [http://www.calculatorsinc.com](http://www.calculatorsinc.com) but I am not positive. Happy graphing! ---
**Author:** ![AwSnappity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a3d4f5/32.png) [@AwSnappity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AwSnappity)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2001, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-coolest-damn-calculator/61937/11 "2001-04-15T05:56:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by LoverBoy \* > > - Legal on most standardized tests (unlike it’s big brother, the TI-92+) Must…correct…grammar… unlike **its** big brother Sorry. Nothing interesting to contribute about calcs. I may be a grammarian, but at least I’m not a computer dork… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Monster104](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Monster104](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monster104)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2001, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-coolest-damn-calculator/61937/12 "2001-04-15T06:10:57Z")
Hey, those calculator dorks are nowhere NEAR as nerdy as us computer dorks! ---
**Author:** ![LoverBoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@LoverBoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LoverBoy)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2001, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-coolest-damn-calculator/61937/13 "2001-04-15T06:13:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Monster104 \* > Hey, those calculator dorks are nowhere NEAR as nerdy as us computer dorks! Oh ho, but I’m both. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Gozu\_Tashoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7993a0/32.png) [@Gozu\_Tashoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu_Tashoya)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2001, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-coolest-damn-calculator/61937/14 "2001-04-15T10:30:48Z")
As noted by **AET** and others, I won’t be taking any calc tests on this thing beyond what’s given in my college classes. (High school and all associated tests were years-that-feel-like-ages ago.) That being said, the TI-89 sounds like it kicks all ass, though I’ll admit that I’m kinda curious about this TI-92+ that’s been mentioned as well. Thanks for all the responses, guys! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Gozu\_Tashoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7993a0/32.png) [@Gozu\_Tashoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu_Tashoya)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2001, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-coolest-damn-calculator/61937/15 "2001-04-15T10:37:06Z")
Oh, and one more question about the whole banning thing. Are these calculators banned because of the programmability, or simple functionality. Not that I’d imagine my professors-to-be being too anal about my knowing _all_ the fundamentals for behind the math - this is more a “math you’ll need to know when you do the whole computer programming thing” math requirement than anything else - but it’d still be good to know, just in case. Oh, and **City Gent** , I’ll see if I can find a store with an HP for me to play around with, but I really am more familiar with the layout and interface of TIs. And, as with the whole PC/Mac debate, familiarity counts for a lot when all else is near-equal. I’ll take it under consideration though. ---
**Author:** ![SuperNova](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@SuperNova](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuperNova)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2001, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-coolest-damn-calculator/61937/16 "2001-04-15T14:53:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by KKBattousai \* > \*\*Oh, and one more question about the whole banning thing. Are these calculators banned because of the programmability, or simple functionality. Not that I’d imagine my professors-to-be being too anal about my knowing _all_ the fundamentals for behind the math - this is more a “math you’ll need to know when you do the whole computer programming thing” math requirement than anything else - but it’d still be good to know, just in case. > \*\* Here’s a [site](http://www.collegeboard.org/sat/html/students/prep003.html) with some info on the calculator issue. No question, on the SAT’s, the TI-89 is allowed. Although no one asked, here’s a [list](http://www.collegeboard.org/ap/students/calculus/exam007.html) of calculators you can use on the AP exam… Not only is the TI-89 on the list of acceptable calculators, the site actually says “Nongraphing scientific calculators are not permitted.” hmmm… … Took me a few minutes to find this, but I just found the ACT [site](http://www.act.org/aap/taking/calculator.html). Yep, the TI-89 is prohibited. I wonder why they banned it and no other test did. ---
**Author:** ![JCL1013](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b9e5f3/32.png) [@JCL1013](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JCL1013)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2001, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-coolest-damn-calculator/61937/17 "2001-04-15T16:30:35Z")
Okay. This is just speculation, but it’s the theory my high school calculus teacher had as to why the ACT prohibits the TI-89, and it’s just because the equation solver is soooo easy to use. It’s my favorite function on the thing. Not only is it smaller than the TI-92 and TI-92+, but it’s also faster than the 92. Another bonus is that it doesn’t make you look like quite so big a dork as it doesn’t sport a full qwery keyboard. ---
**Author:** ![Sterra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8c91f0/32.png) [@Sterra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sterra)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2001, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-coolest-damn-calculator/61937/18 "2001-04-15T17:37:39Z")
You know I just took the sat and checking our calculators consisted of pausing for a second then going on:) ---
**Author:** ![Gozu\_Tashoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7993a0/32.png) [@Gozu\_Tashoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu_Tashoya)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2001, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-coolest-damn-calculator/61937/19 "2001-04-15T21:16:01Z")
OMG, these things are even cooler than I thought. I just stumbled on to [http://www.ticalc.org](http://www.ticalc.org) and there are so many executable programs available that it’s scary. Even scarier is that they have instructions on how to _overclock_ your TI calculator. God, this is good stuff! ---
**Author:** ![barking\_frog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/96bed5/32.png) [@barking\_frog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barking_frog)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2001, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-coolest-damn-calculator/61937/20 "2001-04-15T21:48:47Z")
As others have said - the TI-89 definitely is the best calculator out there. I’d actually just about put it on the same level as cheating, and yes, I do have one :D. These things are absolutely amazing, but the best thing that I like about it is actually its user interface, it’s _FAR_ better than anything out there (that I’ve compared it to), I love being able to scroll up and down to see previous answers with such ease, use previous answers just by hitting enter, and the “numeric solver” is SUCH a time saver (you just put in a function and add |x=n at the end of it to evaluate it at n). However, I think most teachers are catching on to the TI-89’s abilities, because the other day when I asked my teacher about something she mentioned that I might not be able to use my calculator on the tests anymore - which is probably due to its algebriac manipulation abilities. Unfortunately the main reason I use the 89 over the 83 (I have both) is not because of that, but because of the user interface. Just a warning, you might want to check with your professor/math department first to see if they have a list of “unusable” calculators so that you dont spend $150 on a paperweight. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-coolest-damn-calculator/61937.md?page=2)