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Graphing Calculators

wmmk

wmmk

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Hey,
I am taking Algebra 1 this year and Geometry next year. I'm also taking a pre-trig course this year. I need a graphing calculator from Texas Instruments, but I don't know if I should get a TI-83+, TI84+, or TI-84+ Silver Edition. I was interested on the Texas Instruments website where it said the TI-83+ is not reccomended for Geometry. Has anybody here used one for Geometry? What is the best long term value? (TI-83+ is $90, TI84+ is 110, and TI84+ Silver is 130). Thanks a bunch for the help!

1000th post, yay!
 
Well in college they prefer you to either use the Ti86 or Ti89

So i went with the 86 when i was in HS
 
eva01 said:
Well in college they prefer you to either use the Ti86 or Ti89

So i went with the 86 when i was in HS
Click to expand...
I see. I'm in 8th grade, so I just want something that will work in H.S. and won't brake the bank. Really, my only options are the TI-83+ and TI-84+, Considering that the silver edition just adds more memory, which is no big deal for me.
 
I used a Ti-83 plus (maybe it was a regular 83) for geometry and it worked fine. The only reason i can see why texas instruments would say that is to make you spend the extra money on an 84 or 84 plus. Just go for the ti-83 plus and you'll be fine
 
i used what was recommended by the teacher in HS (ti-83) but once I got to college I had to upgrade to another graphing calculator for more calculus and physics (ti-89). if i could go back I would've just got the ti-89 in the first place because it isnt that much more than a ti-83.
 
eva01 said:
Well in college they prefer you to either use the Ti86 or Ti89

So i went with the 86 when i was in HS
Click to expand...



it depends on the college you goto and how high the level of math you need


For Calculus 1 and 2, a ti83+ is fine. Even my friend who is taking multivariable and crap chugged fine with a 83+.


I believe though that on the SAT they only allow 83 and 84s? Because the more advance calculators are able to show work or some crap like that. I just remember when I took the SAT the instructors made sure everyone had 83+...


But anyhow, a 83+ should be fine. I have no idea why on the TI website it says it isnt good for geometry. As long as it has the functions for trig (sin/cos/tan) and the inverse of each, that is pretty much all you need for geometry. Everything else I remember about geometry was with a ruler, logic, and a very big chunk of a eraser 😛


Also you might want to check out what the college you plan on going to requires you. For me they dont allow calculators until you are beyond calc 2. So that expensive TI calculator when I bought it for 200 bucks is a useless brick to me (actually 4 bricks because at HS, their easy to find 😀). But others like what eva01 said might require a different calculator.


BTW, as a tip for you since you seem to be just starting HS, take as many AP classes as possible. No kidding. Im so ashamed that I didnt. There are so many freshmans coming in with enough credits to be juniors! I believe AP Calc BC gives you both credits for calculus ONE AND TWO in most colleges. Many people who took AP Biology also got their science courses done and lab because it counted as both. But again it depends on the college, but definitely take AP courses. I regret being so lazy. Now Im paying because Im behind 🙁
 
wako said:
it depends on the college you goto and how high the level of math you need


For Calculus 1 and 2, a ti83+ is fine. Even my friend who is taking multivariable and crap chugged fine with a 83+.


I believe though that on the SAT they only allow 83 and 84s? Because the more advance calculators are able to show work or some crap like that. I just remember when I took the SAT the instructors made sure everyone had 83+...


But anyhow, a 83+ should be fine. I have no idea why on the TI website it says it isnt good for geometry. As long as it has the functions for trig (sin/cos/tan) and the inverse of each, that is pretty much all you need for geometry. Everything else I remember about geometry was with a ruler, logic, and a very big chunk of a eraser 😛


Also you might want to check out what the college you plan on going to requires you. For me they dont allow calculators until you are beyond calc 2. So that expensive TI calculator when I bought it for 200 bucks is a useless brick to me (actually 4 bricks because at HS, their easy to find 😀). But others like what eva01 said might require a different calculator.


BTW, as a tip for you since you seem to be just starting HS, take as many AP classes as possible. No kidding. Im so ashamed that I didnt. There are so many freshmans coming in with enough credits to be juniors! I believe AP Calc BC gives you both credits for calculus ONE AND TWO in most colleges. Many people who took AP Biology also got their science courses done and lab because it counted as both. But again it depends on the college, but definitely take AP courses. I regret being so lazy. Now Im paying because Im behind 🙁
Click to expand...
Thanks. I think I'll definitely go with the TI-83+. I'm actually only going into 8th grade, but with all the freshman classes I'm taking this year, I'll be able to take extra AP classes in high school. Anyway, I don't know much about what college I'll be going to, but I hope to study philosophy at Brown or political science at Yale. I don't know what calculators are required there, but I do know that Brown has an all Mac campus and 24/7 free Mac support for all undergrad students.

Anyway, can the TI-83+ hook up to a Mac via USB? Does it even have a USB cable? I gotta put pong and mario on for that long busride to school🙂
 
wmmk said:
Thanks. I think I'll definitely go with the TI-83+. I'm actually only going into 8th grade, but with all the freshman classes I'm taking this year, I'll be able to take extra AP classes in high school. Anyway, I don't know much about what college I'll be going to, but I hope to study philosophy at Brown or political science at Yale. I don't know what calculators are required there, but I do know that Brown has an all Mac campus and 24/7 free Mac support for all undergrad students.

Anyway, can the TI-83+ hook up to a Mac via USB? Does it even have a USB cable? I gotta put pong and mario on for that long busride to school🙂
Click to expand...

The TI-83+ should come with a USB cable to transfer files to and from your calculator. I have the TI-83+ Silver Edition, though, so you might want to make sure your calculator comes with one.

Also, I doubt you'll be using a graphing calculator much for Philosophy or Political Science! 😛

EDIT: From the looks of TI's site, the TI-83+ doesn't come with a cable to connect to your Mac or PC. You can buy them seperately, though. Just FYI, the 84 and 84+ come with a USB cable. Also, the USB cable that comes with the 84/84+ (an actual USB-to-USB cable) is way faster than the cable that comes with the 83s (some weird end-to-USB cable). My friend had an 84+ in high school and it transferred way faster than mine.
 
wmmk said:
I hope to study philosophy at Brown or political science at Yale.
Click to expand...



poli sci and philosophy? when I use to work at bestbuy thats what my manager majored in (double majored obviously). Got him real far with those majors. 😛 Better start saving up for grad school too then 😉
 
83 all the way

The '83 is the best in terms of power to simplicity ratio.

Besides - anything above it only serves to do your thinking for you. It's better to understand the math yourself and let the calculator just do the number crunching.

IMHO.

😉
 
Pends how long you expect to use it, how well you are at taking care of your stuff, and how "high" you expect to go in math.

For most cases, the TI-83+ will work fine. Look for what your teacher uses; teachers will probably have an "overhead projector" edition of the calculator, and it's nice to have the same keypad layout when being given a walk-through.

I, however, highly recommend the TI-89. It might hurt the bank, but it's like "Oh baby" when you get it. That thing is an absolute beast, and you can probably get through Calculus C without reading the textbook with it. The interface is very nice, there are useful downloadable programs, and you probably won't outgrow it for a long long time.
 
jsalzer said:
The '83 is the best in terms of power to simplicity ratio.

Besides - anything above it only serves to do your thinking for you. It's better to understand the math yourself and let the calculator just do the number crunching.

IMHO.

😉
Click to expand...
I'd have to agree. The only thing that sucks is thhe USB cable being extra.
 
steelphantom said:
The TI-83+ should come with a USB cable to transfer files to and from your calculator. I have the TI-83+ Silver Edition, though, so you might want to make sure your calculator comes with one.

Also, I doubt you'll be using a graphing calculator much for Philosophy or Political Science! 😛

EDIT: From the looks of TI's site, the TI-83+ doesn't come with a cable to connect to your Mac or PC. You can buy them seperately, though. Just FYI, the 84 and 84+ come with a USB cable. Also, the USB cable that comes with the 84/84+ (an actual USB-to-USB cable) is way faster than the cable that comes with the 83s (some weird end-to-USB cable). My friend had an 84+ in high school and it transferred way faster than mine.
Click to expand...

The TI-83 plus Silver Edition came with the USB cable but it's $20.00 extra normally.

The 83 plus should be fine through the first year of university math. Some of the later classes require a TI-86 or TI-89. You might save some money in the long run by buying the TI-89 but it's always possible that they'll retire it 4 years from now and you'll end up needed a new model.
 
bousozoku said:
The TI-83 plus Silver Edition came with the USB cable but it's $20.00 extra normally.

The 83 plus should be fine through the first year of university math. Some of the later classes require a TI-86 or TI-89. You might save some money in the long run by buying the TI-89 but it's always possible that they'll retire it 4 years from now and you'll end up needed a new model.
Click to expand...
Do they still sell the ti-83+ silver? anyway, the TI-84+ is the same price as a TI-83+ with add on USB cables, and the TI-84+ comes with it's own. it also has more RAM and ROM memory, so I'm thinking I'll go with it, unless they still have TI-83+ silver editions for sale somewhere.
 
wmmk said:
Do they still sell the ti-83+ silver? anyway, the TI-84+ is the same price as a TI-83+ with add on USB cables, and the TI-84+ comes with it's own. it also has more RAM and ROM memory, so I'm thinking I'll go with it, unless they still have TI-83+ silver editions for sale somewhere.
Click to expand...

I haven't seen any silver models lately but I haven't been looking for one, either. You might try Overstock.com since they have a lot of extra stuff.
 
Hey everybody!
I was just at officedepot, and the TI-84+ silver edition was on sale for $104.99, which was just a deal I couldn't pass up. Anyway, thanks to all who gave their great advice!🙂
 
TI, Pah. HP all the way. RPN roolz 🙂

OK, I have an HP-48GX that was purchased back in 1994 😱 and still rocks out. 🙂
 
wmmk said:
Hey everybody!
I was just at officedepot, and the TI-84+ silver edition was on sale for $104.99, which was just a deal I couldn't pass up. Anyway, thanks to all who gave their great advice!🙂
Click to expand...

Sounds like a good deal. USB cable included?

gauchogolfer said:
TI, Pah. HP all the way. RPN roolz 🙂

OK, I have an HP-48GX that was purchased back in 1994 😱 and still rocks out. 🙂
Click to expand...

That's nice but schools don't buy them and most of the instructors don't know how to help you when things go wrong.
 
bousozoku said:
That's nice but schools don't buy them and most of the instructors don't know how to help you when things go wrong.
Click to expand...

Ahh.
*Puts on crotchety old-guy sweater*
Back in my day everyone used HP calculators, not any of these upstart TI thingamabobs. The 48GX had expandable memory cards, which was a huge invention at the time. Schools didn't buy them, either, we had to buy them ourselves with our hard-earned money.
*Takes off crotchety old-guy sweater*

To each their own, I guess.
 
gauchogolfer said:
TI, Pah. HP all the way. RPN roolz 🙂

OK, I have an HP-48GX that was purchased back in 1994 😱 and still rocks out. 🙂
Click to expand...

Ditto. I had a 38G and then a 48G. Damn, I loved those calculators. I didn't really need them all that much, but I really loved features like the equation writer on the 48G.

And I absolutely CANNOT use a non-RPN calculator anymore. I can't imagine using anything else, actually.

And regarding the "Schools don't buy them" thing...Everyone else had TIs at my schools, and some of my teachers were NOT happy that I had an HP. However, I got on fine. Most of the time, the buttons/functions were the same, and when they weren't, I could easily look it up in the manual. It was nice to look something up and actually know what I was doing and why, rather than just blindly press a button because a teacher told me to.
 
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