Calculator Recommendations for this class

Basic scientific non-graphing that would do fine for this math course:

Casio FX-115ES - My best pick in this category. ($18 at Office Max).
                 What a GREAT scientific calculator. Wonderful fractions
                 and square root display abilities. Wonderful numerical
                 solutions of equations. Great selection of constants
                 and conversion factors. I don't see how you can beat
                 this calculator for the money for any scientific course.

Casio FX-300MS - Does fractions and any scientific function calculation
                 you might need. About $10. If you can afford the extra
                 8 to 10 dollars, go with the FX-115ES.

Any cheap ($10 or less) scientific calculator that does fractions is an
acceptable choice in this category.

Scientific Graphing Calculators:

(If you can afford the higher prices, these are occasionally helpful)

Casio FX-9750G - About $50 at Office Max. Good choice.

TI 83Plus - About $100 at Office Max or Walmart. Lots of features and a
            Pretty intuitive user interface. However, if you are going to 
            spend this much money for a calculator, I would suggest stepping
            up to the next one in the list.

TI 84PlusSE - About $130 at Office Max or Walmart. Be sure to get the SE and
              not the plain old 84Plus. Lot's more features and speed than
              the 83Plus for not much more cost. Most high school / college
              students like the user interface.

HP 39GS - About $65 at Walmart. Good graphing choice if you know anything about
          HPs.

If you just want the graphing and don't care much about anything else, take the
Casio. If you want a calculator that will be great for this class and future
classes using financial calculations, the TI 84PlusSE is a great choice.

Graphing Calculators With Symbolic Solutions of Equations

Note: These are probably not necessary for this class or any other, but the 
symbolic manipulation capabilities are occasionally useful. They would serve
you well clear through grad school. Many students greatly prefer the user
interface of the TI. It seems more intuitive and natural. I have been a big
fan of HP calculators for a long time and it is my personal preference. Either
one will do a great job. If you are seriously considering spending this much
money on a calculator, you might want to spend some time researching them
and, most importantly, using one to try out the user interface. These are very
powerful calculators, but they can take a good bit of time and effort to learn
to use them effectively.

TI-89 Titanium - About $145 at Walmart or Office Max.

HP-50g - About $118 at Walmart.

Good link for comparing TI graphing calculators

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Created on ... Aug 28, 2007

Last updated on ... Aug 30, 2007