Determining which scientific calculator for school

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by: newguy00
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Date: Wed, 12 Jan 2011 Time: 1:19 AM
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Leading-edge students will find credentials in the area of mathematics and technology are more critical than at any previous time in our history. The new workplace is sophisticated, requiring analytical thinking abilities and technical know-how. That's why it's not unexpected that calculators are becoming more and more vital in the mathematics classroom. They pop up in almost every up-to-date textbook offering and are even mandatory on several advanced assessments such as the AP Calculus assessment.

There are several dozens of popular graphing calculators on the market today. There are 3 main manufacturers of portable graphing calculators, Casio, Texas Instruments, and Hewlett Packard. Unless you teach math, you may not be aware of any of them. How can you pick which one is right for you? When evaluating the choices available for a graphing calculator, bear in mind several factors: features, price, and your needs.

Start by considering your needs. Some calculators come with a CAS, or computer algebra system, but some don't. This feature means the calculator can do operations on variables like x's and y's and not just numerals. This is important for a 2 of reasons. First, the ACT excludes graphing calculators that have a computer algebra system. If you are planning to take the ACT, a CAS will not be the desired calculator for you. Additionally, a computer algebra system is awfully valuable in calculus and above. If you are going into AP calculus or the SAT, these sorts of graphing calculators are encouraged. If you're looking for a computer algebra system enabled graphing calculators, look at a Texas Instruments TI-Nspire CAS or TI-89 Titanium. Also, the HP 50g and HP 40g are excellent options. If you decide you need a non-CAS calculator, you're likely going to consider the TI-84+ or TI-Nspire from TI or maybe the Casio fx-9750GII or fx-9860GII. From HP, look at the HP 39g.

When considering cost, the most affordable is usually Casio. Casio creates a few cheap calculators that are full of features. Consider the Casio fx-9750GII if you're looking for a budget calculator and the fx-9860GII if you have a few more dollars and desire one of the most feature rich scientific calculators on the market. TI usually makes the least affordable calculators, and HP manufactures some nice options that fall in between the two extremes.

Which of the big 3 makes the calculators with the most features is up for debate. Texas Instruments has been known to hold features back that it could probably add to its cheaper models at minimual cost in order to encourage students to purchase the more expensive models. However, the relatively new TI-Nspire is their model with the most features. Casio did a great job including outstanding features in the fx-9860GII. In addition, it's very easy to learn to use, but not as graphically appealing as the TI-Nspire. As usual, HP takes the middle road, blending a nice choice of features with apassably solid set of graphics on the HP 50g.

Considering all the options what's the final verdict? Each of the big three, (HP, Casio, and TI), has at least 2 graphing calculators in their lineup I would recommend. From TI, it is the TI-89 Titanium and both versions of the TI-Nspire (CAS and non-CAS. From Casio, consider the fx-9860GII and fx-9750GII. And from HP, I suggest the HP 39G or HP 50G. If you stick to that list, you will have a calculator you can count on.

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To learn more about calculators, go to Tech Powered Math. There, you can obtain information on scientific calculators, including graphing calculator reviews.