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Ti-84 Evo

education.ti.com

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Re: Ti-84 Evo

#181

Post by kristopolous »

quacker wrote: post #176
kristopolous wrote: post #62

Show me a highschool math problem you can't do on a $12 Casio scientific like the classic FX-300MS https://www.usaofficemachines.com/csofx300ms-fx-300ms-scient... There's even knockoffs of it for $1: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256809744184708.html I picked one up when the 99 cent store was shutting down. It works fine. Look what you can get for $20: https://www.casio.com/intl/scientific-calculators/product.FX...…

Well, the TI-83/84 are called a graphing calculators for a reason: you can plot equations and datasets with them and look at them right there[1]. Looking at graphs is huge for learning, or at least it was for me, and school isn't just about plugging things in and getting an answer (or shouldn't be, at least). Doesn't mean it's not overpriced, but that's one reason and you can get a used TI-83/84 for like $30 or less.…

casio can do graphs on device for under $40

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Casio-FX-9750Glll-Graphing-Calcul...

The reason you can get used ti's for $30 is because that's how much they're actually worth.

You can get a catiga if you really want for like $17: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256809054964211.html

... or you can go with TI for $160 ...

Re: Ti-84 Evo

#182

Post by corysama »

scarecrw wrote: post #89

I'm surprised to see "Approved for Exams" featured so prominently, as handheld calculators for lots of standardized exams are being phased out. All of the exams listed are either already offered in a computerized format or in a transition phase, with the PSAT, SAT, APs, and ACT all already offering Desmos in their testing apps. I love handheld calculators, but, especially in a time-sensitive environment, it's hard to…

"Approved for Exams" make more sense when you take into account the history of the Ti family of calculators.

Why are they still able to sell what is effectively a 30 year old computer for as much or more today than when it came out? Because they managed to get the family informally standardized as "The calculator every teacher in America understands well enough to manage students who use it. Therefore pretty much everything else that could be as or more advanced is effect banned."

It was an amazing piece of kit when it first came out. No doubt you could make something 100x better and 10x cheaper today if someone really tried. But, they would fail commercially because you can't design-in 30 years of legacy in the US school system.

Re: Ti-84 Evo

#183

Post by ndriscoll »

balls187 wrote: post #85
kristopolous wrote: post #62

Show me a highschool math problem you can't do on a $12 Casio scientific like the classic FX-300MS https://www.usaofficemachines.com/csofx300ms-fx-300ms-scient... There's even knockoffs of it for $1: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256809744184708.html I picked one up when the 99 cent store was shutting down. It works fine. Look what you can get for $20: https://www.casio.com/intl/scientific-calculators/product.FX...…

Generating a QR code to see the graph online is kind of cool, but also kinda dumb too. I mean, these days kids have smartphones, what's the point of a graphing calculator?

Ironically builtin smartphone calculators are really bad, and one of the best ones you can download might be Graph 89 (a TI-89 emulator).

Rant/Aside: Smartphones (or at least Android) are just generally really bad at being... smart, especially out of the box. No dictionary? No thesaurus? To say nothing of built-in encyclopedia (e.g. Wikipedia). Calculator worse than the $1 scientific ones? It's astounding how obvious it is that they're meant to dumb people down and just sell you crap when you look at the complete absence of basic functionality anyone from 50+ years ago might expect them to have.

Re: Ti-84 Evo

#184

Post by mrguyorama »

joebates wrote: post #102
pavel_lishin wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I certainly got a lot of educational value out of mine. I managed to program a fully functional Minesweeper game on mine, using the built-in programming tools - no transferring efficient binaries via cable! But yes. 99% of what we did with them in class - when we were even allowed to use them - could have been handled by a little solar-powered calculator with basic arithmetic functions.

Programming mine in high school is how I ended up coding for the first time and led to my current career. Honestly a pretty good investment (from my parents) I'd say.

Same.

I bounced off a python 2 tutorial and a C tutorial, but some random nobody's TI-BASIC tutorial that started really damn easy is how I became a Computer Scientist.

I eventually figured out python too!

I made my own game and got a little notoriety around the school for it.

Re: Ti-84 Evo

#185

Post by nxobject »

palmotea wrote: post #48

> Simplified keypad > The keypad layout removes clutter and makes commands and shortcuts easier to see, so you can work faster with fewer steps. I don't see it. I compared a screenshot of one of these to a older T-84, and it looks like they have same number of buttons, and the buttons are just as cluttered (except the EVO has secondary labels on the keycaps instead of the case). That's a good thing, since one of the…

On my favorite designs ever? The first TI-Nspire "battleship" keyboard. Mini alpha-symbol keys in the corners of actual keys. It looked so annoying, but my muscle memory got very good at it.

https://ids.si.edu/ids/deliveryService?id=NMAH-DOR2014-05202...

Re: Ti-84 Evo

#187

Post by [deleted] »

fph wrote: post #158
neuroelectron wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Real shame since cortex has a admin TrustZone processor that is licensed to special interests only. For the educational market, this "security" is a selling point. It guarantees that a student isn't running unauthorized code or "cheating" apps. It also likely allows OTA auditing of the classroom's state.

What prevents a motivated cheater from swapping out the processor entirely?

[deleted]

Re: Ti-84 Evo

#188

Post by charcircuit »

pavel_lishin wrote: post #40
vvpan wrote: post #38

We had to buy those calculators for highschool and it was a waste of money, felt like somebody must be paying somebody off to have thousands of students buy a device that they will certainly never have to use (and is of little educational value).

I certainly got a lot of educational value out of mine. I managed to program a fully functional Minesweeper game on mine, using the built-in programming tools - no transferring efficient binaries via cable! But yes. 99% of what we did with them in class - when we were even allowed to use them - could have been handled by a little solar-powered calculator with basic arithmetic functions.

You could get that same educational value from programming things on a smartphone.

Re: Ti-84 Evo

#189

Post by mrguyorama »

echoangle wrote: post #121
aaronbrethorst wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Shrug. The SAT and ACT don't let you use an iPhone on their exams. $160 is what the market will bear. I'm not saying it's right or wrong, it just is, and perhaps there's a market for a much cheaper competitor to beat TI here.

Is it a free market? Can students choose any calculator they want as long as it’s certified for their tests or is it mandated by the school?

You can use any calculator that meets the restrictions for things like the SAT.

However.

The entire year, your textbooks, your teacher, your in-class practice, was walking you through the specific commands you need to select to actually do the things, like graphing and solving.

If little Timmy is unable to read the manual about how to do math he doesn't yet know with whatever his specific calculator is, he is at a severe disadvantage, and the teacher basically cannot help him.

A friend in high school bucked the trend and used a casio in our TI based education, and did just fine for himself, but he was apparently a smart kid.

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