I do have fond memories of my TI-82 (we couldn't afford the fancier 84 or 89). I wonder, though, after all these years did Texas Instruments corner the market and obtain an monopoly on allowed calculators for proctored tests or ... because it sure is a shame there's not competition here driving the cost of these things down and the features way up.
Ti-84 Evo
191–200 of 503 posts
Re: Ti-84 Evo
#192Earlier quoted context omitted.
I bought a DM42n last year. I didn't need it. I don't use it so often that I can justify its purchase. Still, wow, I do so enjoy working with it. It's one of those tools that just feels good to use.
There is a certain joy in working with RPN and in using a piece of technology that was designed as a tool, not as a toy or an educational appliance. With phone emulation, I probably need half a calculator. I have three.
That's so true. It's custom-built to do exactly one thing, as efficiently and ergonomically as possible. I love any tool like that.
Re: Ti-84 Evo
#193About 25 years ago my parents got me a Ti84 as a surprise for Christmas and they hid it in the attic so I couldn't find it in the meantime. A few months went by and a couple days before Christmas, when it was time to wrap the presents they couldn't find it anymore. My dad went out and got a Casio something as a late minute replacement, and that was the calculator I used in high school and I never knew about this stor…
Must have been closer to 20 years, 84(+) didn't come out until 2004. Gonna be pedantic/crotchety about this because I got into advanced math classes but it was my brother who got the 84+ (I had to settle for a 83+). Guess who's the engineer now, and who's the NEET? Your kids pay attention to what (who) you value, folks.
Genuinely not sure. Are you the brother that spited your family with a successful career or the one whose life was was doomed by a graphing calculator.
Re: Ti-84 Evo
#194Earlier 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?
The effort.
Re: Ti-84 Evo
#195You can claw my HP48 out of my cold, dead, hands.
Re: Ti-84 Evo
#196is any of this really necessary now that we have LLMs ?
Yes, things that are not LLMs continue to be useful and interesting even though LLMs exist.
I hate what AI hype is doing to peoples' brains here.
Re: Ti-84 Evo
#197Python programming with 156 MHz and 3.5 MiB of RAM? Can a Python REPL even start up with that profile?
Re: Ti-84 Evo
#198Earlier quoted context omitted.
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 se…
That problem could be solved by creating a 1:1 clone regarding buttons and user interface. But I guess TI has a good legal team to tackle that.
Re: Ti-84 Evo
#199The comments on this are fascinating . Although, I was waiting for someone to chime in with "HP is better cuz RPN." 2 dinners out for a family of four would cover the cost of this calculator. If my kid's school required this for math, I wouldn't bat an eye at purchasing one. I needed a Ti-83 for school in 1996-1998. If you couldn't afford one, the school would loan you one for the semester. Band instruments were the…
> I was waiting for someone to chime in with "HP is better cuz RPN." Well, it is ;) The Swiss Micros clones are pretty awesome: https://www.swissmicros.com/product/dm41x
I have 2 Swiss Micros and a pile of sapphire-chip designed-in-Corvallis USA-made HPs. The DM41x is pure joy in the hand. But I still texted the pink TI-84 EVO to my 16-year-old daughter because she doesn't like my stodgy TI-84 CE Plus (which I love).
Re: Ti-84 Evo
#200Earlier quoted context omitted.
Hahaha! This is great. Somewhat related. My mom once yelled at me for losing a necklace she really liked. Then we were moving her stuff out of her house and found the necklace behind a wardrobe, wedged between it and the wall. It had been there for like 40 years, layered in dust.
My mom once was getting ready for work and I hear a pop and hear my mom yelling. I go in and her necklace fell off the dresser; a "dust buster" wall wart was plugged in back there and it fell across the prongs, shorting it out.
This is why you always mount outlets with the grounding pin facing up!