EPTTI-83+ vs TI-86 - Page 5
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Jormundr
United States1678 Posts
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Uranium
United States1077 Posts
The primary advantage that I noticed from 86 > 83 is the more intuitive solver, as many people have stated. It saves a lot of time when you need to solve equations quick. I think it has more statistics functions as well. In my college engineering and stats courses we were allowed to use the solver/stats functions very liberally, as long as they were embedded in an overall problem-solving-flow that showed that we knew what we were doing. Of course, by the end of school I was running simulations too complex to be done on the TI, which is where MATLAB became mandatory. Now that is a sweet, sweet program. | ||
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Bisu-Fan
Russian Federation3339 Posts
Taking a C++ class after using matlab for 2 years is the worst... but then going back to matlab is rough as well (for loop initializations?) but more to the original topic. I feel like I really don't use any upper level math functions on the calculator. The most I use is rref on matrices for homework problems but on exams and midterms, our prof just wants to know if we can do basic system of 2 equations because it's the concepts that are more important that number crunching through a calculator. | ||
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marmistrz
9 Posts
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URfavHO
United States514 Posts
For any aspiring actuaries out there, I would suggest getting a TI BAII financial calculator for SOA exams. Most of the study material out there uses this calculator whereas it seems that the finance/business department at my school preferred the HP brands for financial calculations. | ||
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MichaelDonovan
United States1453 Posts
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Deleted User 3420
24492 Posts
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hariooo
Canada2830 Posts
Relevant xkcd | ||
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beg
991 Posts
On March 10 2015 05:37 URfavHO wrote: Having earned an Applied Math degree, I would say that the TI 89 is objectively the best calculator. It's a lifesaver for Numerical Analysis because it has certain algorithms like Runge-Kutta programmed in it. That said, I have no idea what Runge-Kutta is for and learned virtually nothing in my last two years of Math. I think the only reason not to get one is if a professor/exam doesn't allow it or if cost is prohibative. For any aspiring actuaries out there, I would suggest getting a TI BAII financial calculator for SOA exams. Most of the study material out there uses this calculator whereas it seems that the finance/business department at my school preferred the HP brands for financial calculations. Runge-Kutta is used to solve differential equations in physics. For example weather forecast  | ||
micronesia
United States24773 Posts
On March 12 2015 23:14 hariooo wrote: Anyone still spending money on calculators after they're out of school is just ruining it for everyone else. Aside from familiarity there's no reason to pay that kind of money for decade old tech that has been rendered obsolete for every reason except being allowed in exams. So if I'm sitting at my desk doing math/physics/whatever, and I want to perform calculations of various types (the types that TI's can do but simple scientific calculators can't do), what do you propose as an alternative to using a TI-83,86,89,etc? edit: I see I got a response to my question but I'll wait for hariooo to answer the question before I reply. | ||
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Simberto
Germany11839 Posts
I don't really see any situation in which i would want to do calculations that i can not do with a simply calculator, but could not simply use a PC instead. That also has the advantage of being able to save what you are doing, print it if necessary, input it into whatever you actually need the calculations for, etc... | ||
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Uranium
United States1077 Posts
On March 13 2015 05:14 micronesia wrote: So if I'm sitting at my desk doing math/physics/whatever, and I want to perform calculations of various types (the types that TI's can do but simple scientific calculators can't do), what do you propose as an alternative to using a TI-83,86,89,etc? edit: I see I got a response to my question but I'll wait for hariooo to answer the question before I reply. Again if you want to perform really stronk calculations you are going to need a real software like MATLAB or Mathematica, which is NOT cheaper than a TI-89 unless you get a student license. Although I'm betting there are probably some free/open source computer math/graphic programs, they just might not be as feature complete. | ||
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Fi0na
0 Posts
On March 13 2015 05:14 micronesia wrote: So if I'm sitting at my desk doing math/physics/whatever, and I want to perform calculations of various types (the types that TI's can do but simple scientific calculators can't do), what do you propose as an alternative to using a TI-83,86,89,etc? edit: I see I got a response to my question but I'll wait for hariooo to answer the question before I reply. Ti-84+ I still keep mine around from back when I was in school. But usually I'm working on the computer anyway and prefer to use it for calculations. It also does not run on batteries. I do not really use the Ti-84+ anymore. Ever. But I sure do have lots of sweet memories of programming it and playing games and actually figuring out what the buttons do that the school told me to press. | ||
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Cascade
Australia5405 Posts
On March 13 2015 05:14 micronesia wrote: So if I'm sitting at my desk doing math/physics/whatever, and I want to perform calculations of various types (the types that TI's can do but simple scientific calculators can't do), what do you propose as an alternative to using a TI-83,86,89,etc? edit: I see I got a response to my question but I'll wait for hariooo to answer the question before I reply. R | ||
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hariooo
Canada2830 Posts
On March 13 2015 05:14 micronesia wrote: So if I'm sitting at my desk doing math/physics/whatever, and I want to perform calculations of various types (the types that TI's can do but simple scientific calculators can't do), what do you propose as an alternative to using a TI-83,86,89,etc? edit: I see I got a response to my question but I'll wait for hariooo to answer the question before I reply. Not a TI but there's an app for iOS for the BAII-Plus financial calculator that I pirated during school before I had to pony up cash to get one for exams. It worked better and I didn't have to carry an extra brick around. There's no value in the internal components or the physical product. It's just that the format and setup of the calculator is familiar to people who were forced into using them during school. Even if people don't want to learn a new app that works on their tablet/laptop/whatever, an emulator is a thousand times more convenient. But because of the ways exams are locked down, I don't see that market going away for a long time. I'm not saying the calculators themselves aren't useful but even basic advancements (i.e. bringing them into the modern era by making the software platform agnostic) are stifled because, guess what, you dumb bitches (including me) are/were forced into buying them. | ||
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Chimpalimp
United States1135 Posts
For desk math/science you can get by with inputting numbers into google and letting it do the calculation. However, for more complex equations you can either do some programming (MATLAB/R/whatever floats your boat) or use MathCAD (equation solver). I only used MathCAD a little (so I don't know all of its shortcomings) but it seemed pretty spiffy. MathCAD doesn't require any programming knowledge and it works a lot like MS Word's equation editor. It can be a bit slow inputting all the variables and stuff, but the end product looks really nice. You can print out the work page and it will look like some nicely done LaTeX. In my opinion, you should use a good calculator for exams and for homework. But for desk work, I certainly wouldn't go as far as using a calculator app if you are capable of using an equation solver + google. | ||
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oGoZenob
France1503 Posts
On March 06 2015 03:05 ZenithM wrote: Get a Casio. filthy casual ! | ||
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Mistakes
United States1102 Posts
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micronesia
United States24773 Posts
On March 13 2015 05:48 Simberto wrote: My computer isn't at a desk where I would normally be doing math/sciency stuff. I don't have room next to my keyboard to put my work at my computer desk, either. The 'bad input device' doesn't seem to slow me down; I input math faster on a TI than on any other device. Even with practice, I'm not sure what device would go quicker except for typing in lots of letters which I usually don't have to do. The small window doesn't usually bother me either. I admit, having a bigger screen is generally good.Use a PC or Laptop instead of having to fiddle around with a sucky calculator on a small window with a bad input device. I do have a netbook and a tablet, but I find the calculator more portable, starts up much more quickly (1 second?), and takes up less room if I store it in a place where I generally do math. The power requirements of a TI are also negligible compared to other devices. I change the AAA batteries every year or two or whatever. I don't really see any situation in which i would want to do calculations that i can not do with a simply calculator, but could not simply use a PC instead. That also has the advantage of being able to save what you are doing, print it if necessary, input it into whatever you actually need the calculations for, etc... If I'm ever working on something where those features are important (i.e., print, save lots of input, import information from a separate source) I sit at my computer desk, but it is not optimized for such a purpose... I'm either leaning on a tray table or reaching over my keyboard or something equally uncomfortable (your experience may differ). Note that I am simply pointing out that I personally find the TI to be a good solution to my problems... not that everybody should prefer TIs over other solutions.Putting aside the fact that I have no idea how to use R, as I mentioned above, I don't want to sit at my computer desk when doing most math/sciency stuff. And, I can't bring R with me unless I have a laptop/tablet, which I also addressed above. For some people, that is a good solution. In my case, I'm not even allowed to bring a phone/tablet in with me when I do much of my mathy/sciency work. Personally, I don't have an iOS device. I'd assume there is equivalent software for Android. for the BAII-Plus financial calculator that I pirated during school before I had to pony up cash to get one for exams. It worked better and I didn't have to carry an extra brick around. I actually am not allowed to bring my phone with me to places where I do much of my work, but that's an unusual circumstance. I try to leave a calculator at home, and one at work, so I don't need to carry them around all the time :pThere's no value in the internal components or the physical product. It's just that the format and setup of the calculator is familiar to people who were forced into using them during school. What is a good alternative? As I explained above, a netbook/tablet isn't good for me. Even when I'm home I'd rather not use my phone for it. I find the input for a TI is easier than trying to do it on a phone (I do purposefully get phones with slide out keyboards so I don't need to wrestle with awful touchscreens all the time, but they are meant more for typing words than math expressions). If you prefer a phone, I'm not saying there is anything wrong with that.Even if people don't want to learn a new app that works on their tablet/laptop/whatever, an emulator is a thousand times more convenient. As I was saying, I don't find it more convenient at all, let alone 1000 times more convenient. I explained above why it's easier to grab a ti off my desk and start doing calculations 2 seconds later than to go through the process of getting and using my portable computer (since my main PC is not set up to allow for lots of handwritten work at the desk).But because of the ways exams are locked down, I don't see that market going away for a long time. I'm not saying the calculators themselves aren't useful but even basic advancements (i.e. bringing them into the modern era by making the software platform agnostic) are stifled because, guess what, you dumb bitches (including me) are/were forced into buying them. I'm not going to argue for a moment they couldn't be made much better. However, that is not a legitimate argument for why I shouldn't find a TI the optimal solution for my personal post-school needs. | ||
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Alcathous
Netherlands219 Posts
Do they obey Moore's law? If not, why? I mean, I bought the same one that are for sale nowadays when we were still using discmans. And at least back then it was priced in gulden, not it's the same number in euro. | ||
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