The Best Calculator

[pipersgrip]

Ok guys, I am having a super hard time in algebra now, and I need a great calculator. Does anybody know of a calculator that pretty much does all the work for you, one where you just type the problem in and it solves it for you? Thanks.

[Coffee]

Sorry, but don't think I know of one. And even so I'm not sure I could in conscience advocate the usage of such a device.
No calculator can ever replace understanding the material my friend.

[Doug_Tipple]

When I was in college in the early sixties, the best calculator that we had in the geophysics laboratory (we had one calculator for everyone) was a heavy mechanical electrical calculator (Frieden, I think). It had ten rows and ten columns of number keys. It would add, subtract, multiply, divide, and nothing more, and the solutions were not instantaneous, like today. All the little gears and spinning parts inside would whirl until it would finally stop with the solution to the problem. It was easy to give it a problem that it could not solve, and it would just sit there and spin all afternoon if you had the time to watch. Modern calculators will give an error message if you try to divide by zero, for example, but this calulator would hopelessly try to find the solution to difficult or impossible problems. I sometimes dream of showing my professor the current electronic calculator in my watch, using time-travel, of course. Of course, he wants to know where I got the watch, but I can't tell him.

[fearfaoin]

We used a TI-85 in high school Pre-Calculus back in the early 90s.
In fact, I think the school was given several of the calculators if
they used a book that incorporated the calculator into the lesson.
They graphed quite nicely and would do some pretty complicated
algebra. I think they're up to TI-89, and have even gotten a new
naming system with the TI-NSPIRE.

In college we used software called Maple for calculus classes.
It will solve pretty much any equation you throw at it. But that
has the same drawbacks as a calculator, learning-wise.

I don't know how much good those'll do you , unless it's just to
check your answers. They won't let you use them on the test.
You'd probably be better off with tutorial software like Math911
http://math911.com/ (which is free for a few more months).

[djm]

djm

[hans]

Ok guys, I am having a super hard time in algebra now, and I need a great calculator. Does anybody know of a calculator that pretty much does all the work for you, one where you just type the problem in and it solves it for you? Thanks.

Do you need algebraic equations solved?
Perhaps this site may help: http://www.quickmath.com/
Try the solve link in the menu, or any of the other pages, for instance expanding equations, etc.

http://www.algebrahelp.com/ looks good too.

~Hans

[dwest]

When I was in college in the early sixties, the best calculator that we had in the geophysics laboratory (we had one calculator for everyone) was a heavy mechanical electrical calculator (Frieden, I think).

We used the HP 9100As with RPN. I have an HP-35 that works, cost me a fortune, but when I showed up at the refuge office with that bad boy.... I'm saving it for the Road Show. I still use an HP 20S scientific, looks like it was made in some place called the USA, must be a city in China?

[fearfaoin]

We used the HP 9100As with RPN.

Oh, yeah. Be careful with those HP calculators.
Once you go Reverse Polish Notation, it's hard
to go back!

I'm saving it for the Road Show.

Just don't dust it with Lemon Pledge.
They hate that.

[pipersgrip]

Actually, I just transferred colleges in a different state, and for some reason they won't accept my math classes here. I already know the stuff, it is just time consuming. I need a calculator where I can get through it fast. It really sucks that I have to do the classes over again.

[emmline]

No calculator which assists with algebra will help pass exams.
Unless they're strictly multiple choice, and math tests usually aren't.

[peeplj]

I have a HP-28S that I used in college.

It will solve symbolic equations.

They don't make them anymore but you can get them used on Ebay. (For MUCH less than I paid for mine. Oh well.)

It's still a great calculator, although these days it's really overkill for me. (Though the binary and hex capabilities do come in handy).

--James

[dolphinjon]

TI actually makes several calculators that can solve equations for you. I even have one that can do a system of equations. The problem is that if you don't understand how to do it in the first place, they're not a lot of help. They're most helpful when doing lab work or things like that. Having said that, I really like the TI-89. There's better calculators out there now, but I'm pretty comfortable with mine and it will do darn near anything. the downside is that it's not the best for statistics or trig functions.
Anywho, learn to do it by hand first. Especially because many professors will check your calculator and won't let you use one with these types of capabilities on a test. I had one that wouldn't even allow an abacus or a slide-rule...

[brewerpaul]

I usually use a digital calculator:

[Doug_Tipple]

I've mentioned this before, but whenever I tried to use my digital calculator (counting on my fingers while I had my back turned to the students) as a high school math teacher, I got howls of laughter and pointed comments, such as, "Your're no math teacher!"

[mutepointe]

What an empathetic bunch we all turned out not to be. Now get to class on time and listen to your professor. Eat a good breakfast.