Scientific Calculator

[mistycarole]

Where can you get a good deal?

I need two I have 2 teenagers in High school.

[me!]

when I was in HS, i got a basic scientific calculator. I was always a proponent of not getting a fancy expensive calculator that has all the bells and whistles. It trains your mind to think through the problem instead of relying too much on the calculator to do the work for you.

hst, a basic 24.99 calculator at walmart will far surpass anything I ever owned and will do just about anything hs math will throw at them.

[evman150]

24.99?

Way too much.

The University of Victoria Department of Mathematics and Statistics only allows one calculator to be used. And the thing costs like 6 or 7 bucks.

Sharp EL-510R

http://sharp-world.com/products/calculator/product/standard/510r.html

You don't need anything better than that for high school or university. Anything that costs more than ten bucks is a royal waste of money.

[p51dray]

I hate sharp calculators and their DAL. The button order seems all wrong to me and that model doesn't even a 2nd line to display the operations! That function is a must imho and is definitely not a waste of money.

My favourite calculator has to be the Casios. I've had two so far and I love my current fx-991 (or something like that). I think I got it for $20 in FS.

To me, a good scientific calcution should be have multi-line display, does fractions, has formula memory, memory of last few operations, unit conversions, a solver, easy to use stats functions, and does row reductions :).

[evman150]

I too prefer Casio. I used two different Casio models in high school.

To me two line display isn't really important. As long as the screen scrolls it's fine.

None of that stuff you list is really important. The only gripe I have with the sharp is the labelling of the buttons. x^2 should not be on 2nd function and the EXP button should be closer to the = button like on the casio. Also log, ln and e^x should not be 2nd functions.

Just pulled out my high school calculator which fell apart a couple years ago. Casio fx-991MS. Good calculator but too big and heavy. Good buttons though. I love the EXP button next to the equals button. And it has the constants preprogrammed. Saves time with ugly numbers like [MUo] (that is the permeability of free space) of 4piE-7 Tm/A.

[KennethToronto]

fx-991ms

Does everything you will ever need to do.

[felixdd]

Casios make great calculators! The fx-4500P is the best calculator I've had. A HS teacher gave it to me after finding it in her room a few years ago. I borrowed it from her and since I liked it so much I wanted buy it off of her. She told me to just keep it instead.

I love it so much I bought another one in HK (the one from the teacher was kind of banged up). Unfortunately the new one was stolen, but nonetheless I still have the old one! :cheesygri

It's programmable, which was useful when I did my physics lab homework, because there was a lot of repetitive calculations and having the ability to program it meant I can do them that much quicker. It doesn't do graphing though, which was alright with me. Never used it on tests either -- I didn't trust the programming function because I could've entered the wrong numbers into the program, whereas if I did the question from scratch I can just review the last entry to see if I made a mistake.

[xIcewind]

The FX-991MS is a really good calculator, though a tad on the pricy side. If all else fails, buy 'em two TI-83s. =P

[gq_fuzion]

graphing calcs all the way

i've got a TI-83+

[Baia.]

i'm in highschool and u do need a scientific calculator in highschool for sure...

i have a texas intrsument something, i paid 43.99 i think, kinda high

[trusoulja2g]

I've used the Casio FX-991 since high school. It's also the only calculator allowed at Mac.

[civ@uw]

Yes, the Casio FX-991 MS is by far the best scientific calculator around. You really dont need a graphing calculator when you've got a FX-991 MS.

[longo]

woot! for casio calcs!
I love mine, although i don't have it right here to tell you the model, but it does everything I need it to do. I've only really learned what it can really do during Uni since i never used any of it in HS

[f00kie]

I have the Sharp EL-510R calculator right now - have been using them since Grade 7 (I think I've had 3), and they are great. The only thing is, now that I'm going into University, mine wants me to use a Sharp EL-520. They say they'll take my EL-510 away if they see it on the exam. The 520 model is bigger, better, and has 2 lines on display. It's $18.99 at Staples last time I checked.

[kawai]

I have the Sharp EL-510R calculator right now - have been using them since Grade 7 (I think I've had 3), and they are great. The only thing is, now that I'm going into University, mine wants me to use a Sharp EL-520. They say they'll take my EL-510 away if they see it on the exam. The 520 model is bigger, better, and has 2 lines on display. It's $18.99 at Staples last time I checked.

I hate the Sharp EL-520 because the button's poor tactile feedback/speed

I used to have the 991 but I lost it when I left HS, so I've been using my little brother's casio fx-270w, really good tactile feedback and it's allowed used in engineering at uoft

Depending on what you are going into, you don't use most of the functions in the calculator anyways. afterall you are not going to unversity to learn how to use your calculator...

I think none of the math courses will let you use calculator (nor should you need one) so my calculator always ended up doing really basic math.

[Headhunter]

If you aren't picky, Wal-Mart sometimes has specials on scientific calculators.

Unless you're getting a graphing one, should be about $15 apiece.

[Xanimal]

I must admit, for the price, the casio calculators are much better than the sharp ones.
That being said, I still love TI most, I have a TI-89ti. (not Even biased).

[Blehh]

I also advice you to get the Casio FX-991 MS calculator, they're great and it will be all you need for highschool

[wanted]

Graphing if teacher insisits.
Otherwise scientific, the brand doesn' matter much to me. Make sure it has pi, inverse, sin/cos/tan, binary-hex-etc is optional (good if they take comp eng in 10-12) and all the other features of calculators.

[deep]

My calculator, from high-school through uni. Awesome. (Very helpful for Latin, too! :))

http://www.thimet.de/CalcCollection/Calculators/Sharp-EL-9000/Sharp-EL9000-M.JPG

[f00kie]

I used to have the 991 but I lost it when I left HS, so I've been using my little brother's casio fx-270w, really good tactile feedback and it's allowed used in engineering at uoft

The only calculators that are allowed are:

Casio 260
Sharp 520
Texas Instrument 30

So I don't see how it's allowed?

[evman150]

graphing calcs all the way

i've got a TI-83+

Waste...of...money.

What the hell is the point of a graphing calculator? Oh I know, there is no point.

They're pretty much useless in high school and often used as a crutch for students that are too dumb to actually understand the material and they are illegal in most if not all universities.

And they cost $100 or more. Yuck.

[Bordello]

Waste...of...money.

What the hell is the point of a graphing calculator? Oh I know, there is no point.

They're pretty much useless in high school and often used as a crutch for students that are too dumb to actually understand the material and they are illegal in most if not all universities.

And they cost $100 or more. Yuck.
Agreed. Unless you're majoring in math in university, you won't need it. High school students would be tempted to use the calculator instead of learning how to draw the graphs themselves. That's more of a hindrance than an advantage.

[pandaharo]

I bought a couple of casio's at costco last year for about $17 each, great calculators. :)

I got through highschool with a older model casio and without a graphing calculator.

[nkwu]

as people have said, calculators dont really matter, but hatt Sharp Calculator pictured always pissed me off.

I really like Casio's calculators, and even though 2 line display mght not be necessary, it helps sometimes. And if you are doing tedious, long, or repetitive calculations, they can be helpful.

But, if your kids don't know how to use them there is no point.

Ona s ide note, I have become much too reliant on my calculator.

[stooples_employee]

The FX-991MS is a really good calculator

this is one of the best calculators!~
i hear that wal-mart is having a sale 17.xx
you can price match staples they are selling for over 20$

[mistycarole]

The school requires the Scientific Calculator. This is not a want from my children.

[wanted]

The school requires the Scientific Calculator. This is not a want from my children.

any will do then.
look for Binary/Decimal/Hex/Oct calculators, good feature.

[mrken]

Waste...of...money.

What the hell is the point of a graphing calculator? Oh I know, there is no point.

They're pretty much useless in high school and often used as a crutch for students that are too dumb to actually understand the material and they are illegal in most if not all universities.

And they cost $100 or more. Yuck.
I got my Casio FX-9750 from Office Depot for $30. I would buy this again rather than another scientific calculator. The equation solver is a very handy feature. ;) Too bad I failed the no-calculator section of the provincial examination. :(

I remember seeing an older Casio scientific calculator that can solve quadratic equations... I can't seem to do that on my newer Casio 991 something.

[wanted]

I got my Casio FX-9750 from Office Depot for $30. I would buy this again rather than another scientific calculator. The equation solver is a very handy feature. ;) Too bad I failed the no-calculator section of the provincial examination. :(

I remember seeing an older Casio scientific calculator that can solve quadratic equations... I can't seem to do that on my newer Casio 991 something.


they can !!!!

here i am wasting time, using the quadratic formula!!!
stupid x= opp. b +/- SQR (b^2-4ac)/2a :mad:

[Siefer999]

fx-991ms

Does everything you will ever need to do.

exactly

[mrken]

they can !!!!

here i am wasting time, using the quadratic formula!!!
stupid x= opp. b +/- SQR (b^2-4ac)/2a :mad:
Really? I cannot seem to find where it is... The information is not in the manual either...

The model number is fx-991W.

[Nai]

they can !!!!

here i am wasting time, using the quadratic formula!!!
stupid x= opp. b +/- SQR (b^2-4ac)/2a :mad:

That's x= (opp. b +/- SQR (b^2-4ac))/2a :cheesygri

I used the Casio FX-260 for most of high school.
http://www.casio.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=products.detail&catalog=Calculators&section=Scientific&product=FX%2D260Solar
I was even using it for mostl of yr2/3 after the AC button ripped off (using an eraser tip) until I picked up a 520.

IMHO the CS260 was pretty basic in comparison to the Sharp 520 which had that nifty multi-root function as well as multiple lines of backstepping/retracing, most of which are helpful in yr2/3 but not as much help for calc/discrete.
http://www.sharpusa.com/products/ModelLanding/0,1058,1461,00.html

[Nai]

Agreed. Unless you're majoring in math in university, you won't need it. High school students would be tempted to use the calculator instead of learning how to draw the graphs themselves. That's more of a hindrance than an advantage.

I'm not so sure about math major midterms/exams, but I would prefer a laptop with matlab/maple for all of my graphing needs :cheesygri