Need help with buying a graphing calculator

[Clint]

Went shopping for school today and got some cool stuff. Wireless printer! Didn't know they made that. Anyway, I got a TI- Nspire. Got this because that's the best they had, and because my current calculator is Casio, was just like $50 when I got it, and EVERYONE seems to use TI so whenever I ask how to enter something in, their answer is totally not for my calculator.

Anyway, I get home and find out it's not the latest and greatest from TI. It's big brother is. The TI-Nspire CAS. Apparently it uses symbols or something, I dunno. It says "plus a built-in Computer Algebra System. CAS adds an interactive dimension to exploring symbolic algebra and symbolic calculus, in addition to standard numeric calculations.".

"
TI-Nspire™ CAS Technology

TI-Nspire functionality with a Computer Algebra System (CAS) built in.
TI-Nspire™ CAS technology makes it possible to recognize, simplify and calculate math expressions, preserving the symbols including variables and terms such as e and π

This ability to enter and view equations and expressions on screen as they appear in textbooks may be especially useful for step-by-step, arithmetic, algebraic and calculus calculations.

Educators have the option to incorporate CAS into their instruction, using TI-Nspire CAS technology that is designed to help students:

* Learn to solve equations step-by-step while avoiding common arithmetic errors.
* Spend more time on specific math topics, from algebra through calculus.
* Factor and expand expressions and solve common denominators.
* See patterns and grasp the math behind the formulas.
* Find common denominators
"


Now. Could someone tell me if it's worth the hassle returning it and getting the TI-Nspire CAS? Are the benefits apparent? Does anyone use it and like it? I got the TI-Nspire for like $144 tonight at Wal-Mart, and Amazon has the TI-Nspire for like... ten bucks more or so. Maybe 15-20 with free shipping. I didn't know if it was worth the hassle or now since I'm technologically illiterate. Using symbols seems like a time saver, but if I'm going to have to go in and change the value of the symbols constantly, it'll seem to negate the purpose of entering in lots of symbols in the first place. I should say I'm average in math. I've only done alg I, II, Geo and Trig thus far. My intention was to get a calculator now that I'd never have to replace because it couldn't do something I needed it to do. Not expecting quantum mechanics If I did replace it, I'd like it to be because a newer calculator came out that's easier to use and time saving, but does the same things as the one I'm about to buy .

for the money these things cost, you'd think they'd put color screens in them.

 

[thepyro]

Basicly the CAS allows you to enter Solve(2x=2,x) and it will return 1.
I'm guessing (I have a TI-89) that it will also integrate, take derivatives, ect. so it would also help you out in calculus. The one problem with it though is that it gives you the answer with out requiring you to do the work. If you pick up math concepts fast then I would personal get it because it makes things a lot faster.

 

[CPEnthusiast]

Hey Clint,

I would strongly advise you NOT to go out and exchange the one you have for the newer one. I'm not sure what kind of math you are going to be dealing with because I do not know your major or anything, but I've made it through some pretty high Calculus courses just using like a 5 year old TI. Plus, if you say you are technologically illiterate, using the new one is going to be even harder! One of my old friends used to have this TI that was like 5 steps up from mine, and it was seriously so confusing to try to use it because it had so many crazy buttons and different functions and what not. All you need for Calculus is a simple graphing calculator, and if it was me, I would go with the most simple, straight forward one I could find!

Zach

 

[thepyro]

Hey Clint,

I would strongly advise you NOT to go out and exchange the one you have for the newer one. I'm not sure what kind of math you are going to be dealing with because I do not know your major or anything, but I've made it through some pretty high Calculus courses just using like a 5 year old TI. Plus, if you say you are technologically illiterate, using the new one is going to be even harder! One of my old friends used to have this TI that was like 5 steps up from mine, and it was seriously so confusing to try to use it because it had so many crazy buttons and different functions and what not. All you need for Calculus is a simple graphing calculator, and if it was me, I would go with the most simple, straight forward one I could find!

Zach

Zach dose have a point though the manual on my TI-89 is 1.5" thick

 

[DrWurm]

for the record, as far as normal graphing calcs go. CASIO > TI any day of the week. The GUI and menu interfaces are much less cumbersome than anything TI has.

 

[Clint]

Basicly the CAS allows you to enter Solve(2x=2,x) and it will return 1.
I'm guessing (I have a TI-89) that it will also integrate, take derivatives, ect. so it would also help you out in calculus. The one problem with it though is that it gives you the answer with out requiring you to do the work. If you pick up math concepts fast then I would personal get it because it makes things a lot faster.

Answer my questions with no work? Well, looks like I need to go fine my receipt





The manual that came with this was half the size of the Casio manual. Even if Casio is better (I dont even really know), everyone uses TI, it seems, and I've had so many problems when someone tells me how to do something.... on a TI.

 

[xvart]

I can't say that Casio is better than TI but since everyone uses TI I'd stick with that. I had a Casio way back in high school and I hated it because nobody else had one. I couldn't get any help using it.

Additionally, I wouldn't worry too much about your instructors at college utilizing features from new technology in graphing calculators. Throughout time, in my experience, take forever to get on board with efficient and progressive ways of making their lessons interactive or more productive.

And, old school TI's are awesome. TI-80 anyone?

xvart.

 

[moonflower]

I had a similar experience to xvart's in high school with my first graphing calculator, also a Casio... I eventually caved and got a TI-83, and later a TI-89 in college. Basically, TI owns most school's souls, for better or worse... if you ever have a problem with a Casio in class, the teacher/prof will look at you and shrug their shoulders and go "Told you to get a TI".

That said, the TI-89 was my BABY throughout all four years as a bio major... the ability to do derivatives and all kinds of other stuff (full statistical capabilities!) saved my skin in a surprising variety of classes. The manual is very intimidating but honestly, I only used it as a reference... I just looked up how to do assorted problems as I needed them, you don't need to read it cover to cover by any means. I don't know much about the version you have, but the 89 comes highly recommended from me

Also, just FYI, I was required to get a TI-89 for calculus; you may want to check with professors and see if they want a particular model calculator.

 

[seedjar]

Casios work as well as TI, but I prefer TI because I feel like they have a better documentation. Both have clunky programming languages so it's really a matter of what you can get help with most easily. Don't exchange it - algebra solvers are anathema to learning. If you just bugged your teacher until they showed you all the answers by hand, you'd still do better than with CAS because then your teacher would only have themselves to blame when you fail all the exams. It's bad enough that built-in calculus is standard. The original TI-92 (89's QWERTY-keyed predecessor) could do all the stuff you need to remove all of the significant work from algebra, provided you could read the equation well enough to enter it. But copying formulas straight from the text seems like a bad habit to me - it's important to understand the process and step through it in order to learn.
~Joe

 

[DrWurm]

I got my first Casio in 8th grade, played around with it a bit and loved it. The startup menu is really nice. Another thing I like is that if you need, say, the factorial (!) command twice in one line, you don't need to sort through the menu system multiple times to get it, it just says up there until you go to a new menu. One of my high school math teachers (a fellow Casio lover) told me that it was just a case of: TI is the more well known one, so the schools run with it. I never had a problem bringing my Casio to any standardized tests or exams, so I've never wanted to change.

(Also, nothing beats the look on a classmate's face when they ask to borrow your calc and they cant find the "On" button XD.)

 

[vraev]

few years ago....5 exactly...I bought a Ti 83 plus silver edition. It has all those features of graphing...you could make mathematical programs etc as well. It is a wicked calculator. But the best of all is a Ti 90 at that time. almost was like a notebook style.

 

[moonflower]

Don't exchange it - algebra solvers are anathema to learning.
~Joe

true enough, but for those of us who loathe math and use it as a means to an end only, lord how we love those functions

to be fair, i DID learn how to do derivatives by hand (my prof's made every test have a calculator-free section), and i've utterly forgotten how to take them already. it was useful to learn it at the time.... got me off my lazy bum and made me study it.... but unless you're going to use the functions on a regular basis, you will forget them regardless of how you learn them. kind of like how most of my knowledge of French is already gone....

 

[seedjar]

true enough, but for those of us who loathe math and use it as a means to an end only, lord how we love those functions

to be fair, i DID learn how to do derivatives by hand (my prof's made every test have a calculator-free section), and i've utterly forgotten how to take them already. it was useful to learn it at the time.... got me off my lazy bum and made me study it.... but unless you're going to use the functions on a regular basis, you will forget them regardless of how you learn them. kind of like how most of my knowledge of French is already gone....

You don't have to hate music to look stupid when you're trying to figure out someone else's stereo.
~Joe