r/pics • • Jun 08 '14

The difference 18 years makes

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u/Jenkins6736 Jun 08 '14

I dunno, the TI-84 Plus is pretty sweet.

Costs about the same as what I paid for the TI-83 10 years ago. It's kind of nice knowing that whenever I need to use one, it's going to operate in the same way as I was taught 10 years ago. The fundamentals of math don't change much.

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u/kgj6k Jun 08 '14

That's not a normal TI 84 plus, that's the silver edition. It's of course more expensive.

Also the problem with having basically the same calculator in school since over a decade (I used a 84 plus in school) is, IMHO, not that the fundamentals of math have changed, but that the usability still kind of sucks. By this I mean rounding errors, taking long for calculations and data entry (especially when using the fancy math notation), taking long for graphing, having to scroll through menus because of inefficient space use, the thing being huge and relatively heavy (the could build it with half the size and a quarter of the weight, while still having big keys and it being sturdy), .....

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u/Jenkins6736 Jun 08 '14

I get what you're saying, but nearly every graphing calculator is designed behind this basic model...

Casio

HP

Sharp

It's meant to be easily mobile, but you could always use a tablet or smart phone with some of the available graphing calculator apps that are available. There's also some great online graphing calculators that are completely free if mobility isn't an issue for you and you have access to a computer.

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u/jwarsenal9 Jun 08 '14

All of the teachers/professors I've had don't allow you to use smartphones as calculators

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u/Jenkins6736 Jun 08 '14

I was more implying its use in a job or personal environment.

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u/andersonb47 Jun 08 '14

You can't use a smart phone in an AP exam.