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/sci/ - Science & Math

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5860610 No.5860610 [Reply] [Original]

What's the typical calculator that /sci/ uses in college? I'm thinking I probably should get a better one. Pic related, it's outdated and integrating/deriving can get annoying.

>> No.5860618

I use a HP50g. I don't know why americans only use TIs, though.

But it really shouldn't matter, no one actually needs those to work. Computers are much better.

>> No.5860649

I have a HP 50g and it's been taking me about two years so far to figure out how to use this thing. Wolfram alpha is better.

>> No.5860653
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>> No.5860654

>>5860618
>I don't know why americans only use TIs, though
Seems like they're recommended by schools and teachers, and exams will require you to use certain types of calculators, which may be limited to TIs.

I have a TI 89 but never use it's graphing functionality. A regular calculator has been sufficient for everything so far. (Studying math and physics.)

>> No.5860657
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>> No.5860661
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>> No.5860672

>>5860653
lel

>> No.5860680

>>5860618
they're programmable I believe. Many students put all kinds of functions and equations in there. Of course you need an 84 plus or newer and you need to understand how to work them lol. But yeah that graphing and stats function(did basically no work in stats)...

>> No.5860683

TI 89 here (Elec engineering)

>> No.5860703

Dude, I still use an 83. Its not outdated anymore than the standard pencil and paper setup is. Some things just work.

I also have an 89 which I would recommend if you can get two calcs for school but they don't usually let you use that one on tests so if you can only afford one, get the 83 or an 84 which can do a bit more stuff.

>> No.5860720

TIs are for faggots

>> No.5860735

You can only get a calculator once you've proven that you don't need one

>> No.5860732

I often use pencil and paper to calculate. Easy problems I do in my head. Difficult ones need a slide rule. Computers are nice but I like to be able to do without them.

I was talking with a group of engineers once and I did a back-of-the-envelope square root calculation to get an answer. Their jaws dropped open.

Another time I was discussing something with an old professor and his students were standing around trying to follow the calculations on their calculators.

>> No.5860744

>>5860732
>slide rule

1962 called, they want their tools back so they can work on their space program.

>> No.5860758

I never had a class that we could use calculators, nor would you need to.

If you are getting into computational methods of doing math (like computation approaches to PDEs, algorithms for huge polynomial factoring, or stuff with numerical analysis) then just learn some basic programming.

A calculator won't help you do group theory or separate differential equations or whatever.

Being 100% honest. I had a minor in math (which goes up through linear & ODE), and continued through algebra and analysis, and not a single class used a calculator. Rarely use one when I'm studying now, and only occasionally set up an algorithm in mathematica or something when I need to embed something a thousand times or diagonalize a huge integer matrix or something.

>> No.5860779

>>5860758

Yeah, whatever, bud. I use a calculator a lot in Physics to get all those significant digits because knowing the process and the concept is much, MUCH more important than wasting time doing computation work like some 18th century autist whose job my calculator stole.

>> No.5860785

>>5860779
that's why I said learn some programming if you think you going to be doing things numerically.

I'm just saying that in actual math classes, I never encountered a single one where we could use a calculator, and if you are just doing it at home, you are better of using Wolfram Alpha or picking up some MATLAB (since that's what people will actually be using if you plan on studying this shit for real after undergrad)

also, sig digits, lel, I forgot why I don't really GAF about physics

>> No.5860788

>>5860785

Its not like I don't agree that programming would be a useful skill to have (I am a CS major, after all) but every math class I've taken has allowed me to use my TI-83, and my physics classes let me use my 89, too. Being able to do computations quickly doesn't really help you if you don't know how to solve a differential equation, though, and knowing how to do a simple integral doesn't really help you if you don't know what forces of physics are at play and how, so really, it depends on the class but the focus is different in each class.

>> No.5860792

>>5860788
ok, well I don't know what major OP is planning on studying, but at my old school (a top tier math program - number one in the country for applied math, and in the top 10 for analysis and geometry, so I figure pretty standard in its setup), the pure math classes didn't allow any calculators ever, and this was pretty consistent unless you were more in the "chugging" side of math i.e. CS or physics, or something statistics-y.

>> No.5860795

>>5860792
also the earlier you can lose that graphing crutch and just "see" how things work based on their expression, the better

>> No.5860798

>>5860779
>Physics
>sig digits

You must be doing some babby tier physics. Most of the physics tests I've taken have been mainly about deriving equations, any computation can be done with a $2 calculator from an Asian dollar store, graphing calculators aren't really necessary.

>> No.5860801

>>5860798
Actually, funny story. I was working on a problem involving the repulsion forces of a proton earlier and for some reason or another (I don't remember right now) I had to cube the constant h (6.626x10^-34) and the exponent turned out to be -100. My friend's calculators couldn't manage it, kept giving 0. My 89 correctly spat out the answer.

We then did it by hand separating the x10^-34 part and got the same answer, but just saying that the 89 is technically superior to most other calculators.


But yeah, most of the stuff in Physics, even in the so called calculus based stuff, you can do with a cheap calculator.

>> No.5860803

>>5860798
Oh, and I don't think its babby tier. Its modern physics, the last class before I qualify for an AS in physics.

I'm not claiming its anything super complicated, but its not an intro class.