what is the best graphing calculator?

Answer 1

It all depends on what you are going to use it for. I personally own a Ti-36, Ti-83+, and a Ti-89. For quick simple calculations i like the 36 or the 83. The Ti-89 has some nice calculus functions. When I am working with higher level math, I go for the Ti-89. But it is also much more complicated. The Ti-83 can do most of what you need to do through high school and college. For statistics, I shied away from the 89 because is was too much of a hassle and the 83 was much simpler for what I needed it for.

If you can give more detail to what you are going to use it for, I can further help you.

Answer 2

The TI-89 is by far the best graphing calculator I have ever use. The interface would be the best reason to get it. I bought it because one student told me it was like moving from windows 3.0 to windows 98 when comparing it to the TI-83. It allows almost anything you will need to do in undergraduate math. My favorite functions are "solve" and "factor/expand". They will save you a great deal of time on tests. Also the calculator has great matrix format for easy matrix solving.
It can solve almost any integral.

BE WARNED THAT THIS CALCULATOR CAN DESTROY YOU!! Some people try to rely completely on the calculator when they take tests and it kills them. I have known many people that have failed a class because they thought the calculator could get them a passing grade. It can't. You must do the work.

Answer 3

I own a TI-89. It's the only graphing calulator I've ever had, so I can't give you much overall feedback, but I do know my '89 pretty well. I love it for calculus problems. However, if you're doing statistics, and especially if you want to graph data, it sucks. Don't get me wrong, it works, but it's very user-unfriendly when it comes to graphing a list of points. Also, it CAN do 3D graphing, but the screen honestly isn't a good enough quality to have the graph be much use.

Answer 4

That depends on the purposes for which you're using one. If you only need it for high school algebra, then the TI83, TI84, or the TI86 are probably good choices. They do most of the algebra functions for which you'll need them. The TI89 is a symbolic manipulator, so it's illegal for use on most standardized tests. If you need your calculator for a standardized test, use an 83, 86, or 84. If you're doing college calculus and differential equations, then you might find the TI89 or TI92 more suited to your needs. They have symbolic manipulation technology (do math problems entirely in variables, i.e. "x + x" will return "2x" if you do not have a value stored in x), and they can do things like differentiation, integration, and matrix manipulation. Keep in mind that as the number of the calculator goes up, the price will, in general, go up with it.

Answer 5

I have a TI-92+ which does an excellent job at graphing, but is fairly expensive and may go a bit overboard. I have used several TI-8x calculators which also do a great job. There are also some computer programs that will out-do any calculator.

Answer 6

As long as you know how to use it, any graphing calculator can be the best. I personally prefer a Ti-84+ for anything that does not require a significant amoutn of symbolic differentiation and integration and a Ti-89 for anything that does.

of course, you may be more of a Casio or Hp person.

Answer 7

If you're looking for a PC/laptop-based solution, MATLAB is an excellent software tool for doing all sorts of numerical calculations. It would be more appropriate for a university-level student, but the upshot is that many large businesses use MATLAB for designing products (computers, cars, airplanes, appliances, you name it) so it's also a skill you can add to your resume. It's essentially an HP or TI calculator on steroids. A Student License is $100 US, which is similar to what you'd pay for a hand-held.

MATLAB is produced by The MathWorks