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Reign of the $100 graphing calculator is ending

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Re: Reign of the $100 graphing calculator is ending

#11

Post by Jtsummers »

jerf wrote: post #3

Going digital would have some other advantages too. It would be easy to make a staged calculator where buttons only appear as you learn how to use them, for instance, so you don't stick a calculator in an Algebra II student's face that has stuff for calculus on it, which only contributes to the mystique of "math being hard". For a specialist who uses physical calculators all the time for serious computations, the adv…

I'd still be using my HP 48G on a fairly regular basis if it hadn't suffered catastrophic damage (moron with a cup of coffee, paired with a drop onto a concrete floor). I used to have a lot of calculations programmed into it. I realize, of course, that I can do that on my computer, and I do. But it was handy when I was running around between different systems (main desktop, lab stations, etc.). I could just grab one device and have it with me all the time. Especially since I shifted OSes as well (Windows, various flavors; Linux, various flavors) and not all had network access (or accessed the same network). Keeping those programs synced up would've been tedious. And then there were meetings where dragging out my laptop for something that was quick (but hard to do by hand) was way overkill. My phone could work, but often I've been unable to have it in the labs (various reasons over the years).

I'll add, a lot of those calculators were pretty damned hardy. It really did take an unfortunate sequence of events to kill my HP. Any one of which it probably could have survived, but the combination was just too much for it. In a lab or field environment, I like them better than a phone or computer for many operations (though definitely downsides since they haven't really kept up with generally computing power).

Re: Reign of the $100 graphing calculator is ending

#12

Post by wiredfool »

peatmoss wrote: post #9

Related story (the author describing the TI monopoly jogged my memory): I am part of the generation that was required to buy a big blue or black graphing calculator. As a high schooler I was indignant that we were being told to buy from just one company. So, based on reviews posted in a variety of online forums, I bought an HP-48 instead of the specified TI. After telling all my friends that my new calculator was goi…

My HP-28s is still on my desk. Doesn't get the use that it used to, but it's still the one that works for me.

Re: Reign of the $100 graphing calculator is ending

#13

Post by Retr0spectrum »

nickcw wrote: post #5

When I was at school in the UK the Casio calculator reigned supreme. Luckily there is this rather nice Android App called RealCalc which emulates the kind of caclulator I used to use at school quite well! https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.co.nickfine... I spent 100s of hours using that calculator so having a exact replica on my phone is very helpful. My kids use yet another different Casio calculator w…

On the newer Casio scientific calculators, there's a button you can press to switch between fractional and decimal output. IIRC the button looks like S>D.

Re: Reign of the $100 graphing calculator is ending

#14

Post by joezydeco »

peatmoss wrote: post #9

Related story (the author describing the TI monopoly jogged my memory): I am part of the generation that was required to buy a big blue or black graphing calculator. As a high schooler I was indignant that we were being told to buy from just one company. So, based on reviews posted in a variety of online forums, I bought an HP-48 instead of the specified TI. After telling all my friends that my new calculator was goi…

I still have my HP42s, wouldn't sell it for the world. Although I keep it safe in a drawer at home and use Free42 on iOS. It's incredibly handy.

Re: Reign of the $100 graphing calculator is ending

#15

Post by coding123 »

Do you all hear that? What is it? It's the fond-memory train coming to this thread.

A friend and I were programming a text-and-map based RPG on the Ti-85. It was really awesome, you could walk around on the map from town to town and enemies would find you kinda like Final Fantasy, then you fight them. Anyway we were pretty far into the game. I started programming a "Quadra Pong" game at the same time. This Quadra Pong was networked with two Ti-85s so each player would be on their own calc, connected using the connection cable (sold separately). Anyway, got pretty far in the game, but had to borrow my friends calc to test it. Something you should know about the connection cable and bugginess, is it sometimes caused both connected calculators to crash and reset. And I mean FULL reset with no memory.

We lost both Quadra Pong and our RPG in one tiny scary second... still crying over that one.

Re: Reign of the $100 graphing calculator is ending

#16

Post by CalRobert »

peatmoss wrote: post #9

Related story (the author describing the TI monopoly jogged my memory): I am part of the generation that was required to buy a big blue or black graphing calculator. As a high schooler I was indignant that we were being told to buy from just one company. So, based on reviews posted in a variety of online forums, I bought an HP-48 instead of the specified TI. After telling all my friends that my new calculator was goi…

Calculators without RPN feel like a joke after an HP 48. The keys are a sheer tactile delight, too!

Re: Reign of the $100 graphing calculator is ending

#17

Post by fivestar »

peatmoss wrote: post #9

Related story (the author describing the TI monopoly jogged my memory): I am part of the generation that was required to buy a big blue or black graphing calculator. As a high schooler I was indignant that we were being told to buy from just one company. So, based on reviews posted in a variety of online forums, I bought an HP-48 instead of the specified TI. After telling all my friends that my new calculator was goi…

Yes, I used and still have the HP48SX. It got me through college as a math major and then graduate school as well. And the fact that people can't understand RPN doesn't speak well to the caliber of the students in higher education.

Re: Reign of the $100 graphing calculator is ending

#18

Post by kranner »

loki22 wrote: post #4

How is replacing a offline device with a connected app better? The school boards should simply certify multiple devices for use in the exams. Hardware is primitive and some enterprising company can devise a much nicer interface and probably at 1/4th price.

> How is replacing a offline device with a connected app better?

For one, the web app is free. They also have free iOS and Android apps that presumably work offline.

Re: Reign of the $100 graphing calculator is ending

#20

Post by Jtsummers »

walshemj wrote: post #6

yes I can see exam boards allowing students to have access to an internet based app NOT!

If the exam is done on a computer (what they mean by "going digital"), they can have a local copy of the web app (on the computer or their locked down network).
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