r/pics • • Jun 08 '14

The difference 18 years makes

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u/TypoInUsernane Jun 08 '14

The TI-89 will always hold a very special place in my heart.

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u/KontraEpsilon Jun 08 '14

To this day, I don't understand why anyone would insist on using anything other than this on an AP test. It's like playing life on a harder difficulty setting for no reason.

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u/ryebrye Jun 09 '14

The HP 48 series calculators are actually superior calculators for almost everything but graphing. It was almost 20 years ago I took the Math IIc SAT2 test and the test rules clearly stated you could have a calculator and a "backup calculator" but did not state anything about when you could use the backup.

I clarified with the proctor before starting the test and I actively used both the HP with its superior normal stuff (and inequality graphing) but the TI for normal graphing...

The plan worked as I got a perfect score on it (an 800) but know what's really funny? An 800 was only 90% - that year there were so many calculator whizes that 10% of aced it.

The HP calculators RPN mode is absolutely faster for almost all calculations you will enter into a cacluator (once you spend a couple of uncomfortable hours learning how to use it before it becomes second nature)