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Zero ZGC4: A Better Graphing Calculator for School and Beyond

zerocalculators.com

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Re: Zero ZGC4: A Better Graphing Calculator for School and Beyond

#21

Post by projektfu »

EvanAnderson wrote: post #13
skywal_l wrote: post #10

> USB-C charging—no more scrambling for AAA batteries Bear with me if you’ve already seen this comment, but I dug out my old TI-89 a while ago for some reason, and all I had to do was plug in four AAA batteries and it worked. If it had been fitted with a rechargeable battery, 30 years ago, even assuming it was still functional, I would have needed to recharge it... but with what? Now we have USB-C rechargeable AA/AAA…

I haven't seen that comment, but please keep making it every time it's relevant. Non-user-replaceable batteries are terrible. It turns devices into e-waste. I wish device manufacturers would understand that. I wish consumers would understand that.

Alkaline batteries also create e-waste when they leak and destroy the contacts. Only a few people will be able to repair it.

I agree with you, also for things like radios alkalines are great as a battery that stays outside of the radio and is used when you need it, and doesn't leak much charge at all.

But e-waste is still a problem.

Re: Zero ZGC4: A Better Graphing Calculator for School and Beyond

#22

Post by jasomill »

harshreality wrote: post #19

No approval for AP/IB/SAT/ACT, as far as I can see. No RPN. Every modern graphing calculator needs a mode (doesn't have to be the default) with RPN and a visible (4+ entry) stack. Once people actually learn how to use that for rapid, efficient calculations, they won't go back, but they never learn because all the major calculators don't even offer it as an alternate mode. That's the killer app for "graphing" calculat…

Funny you mention that. I had to get special permission to use my HP-15C on a "calculators allowed" exam in a first-year "calculus for non majors" course, and had to show the instructor how to reset its memory.

Which I found amusing, because the list of approved calulators included several graphing calculator models with computer algebra systems in ROM sufficient to produce correct answers to every problem on the exam, and they're worried about what I might have stored in the memory of a (then) 15-year old keystroke programmable calculator with a single line, ten digit, seven segment numeric display.

Re: Zero ZGC4: A Better Graphing Calculator for School and Beyond

#23

Post by amluto »

projektfu wrote: post #21
EvanAnderson wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I haven't seen that comment, but please keep making it every time it's relevant. Non-user-replaceable batteries are terrible. It turns devices into e-waste. I wish device manufacturers would understand that. I wish consumers would understand that.

Alkaline batteries also create e-waste when they leak and destroy the contacts. Only a few people will be able to repair it. I agree with you, also for things like radios alkalines are great as a battery that stays outside of the radio and is used when you need it, and doesn't leak much charge at all. But e-waste is still a problem.

NiMH batteries generally don’t leak.

Re: Zero ZGC4: A Better Graphing Calculator for School and Beyond

#24

Post by agiacalone »

harshreality wrote: post #19

No approval for AP/IB/SAT/ACT, as far as I can see. No RPN. Every modern graphing calculator needs a mode (doesn't have to be the default) with RPN and a visible (4+ entry) stack. Once people actually learn how to use that for rapid, efficient calculations, they won't go back, but they never learn because all the major calculators don't even offer it as an alternate mode. That's the killer app for "graphing" calculat…

Seriously, this. More calculators need RPN. It’s the reason I keep my HP 50G in as pristine condition as possible.

If this had RPN, I’d likely purchase one. Without, it’s a pass.

Re: Zero ZGC4: A Better Graphing Calculator for School and Beyond

#26

Post by kergonath »

chromacity wrote: post #17
fasterik wrote: post #15

Is there actually a use case for graphing calculators anymore? Desmos provides a great graphing program for free in a web browser. In any professional capacity you would be using MATLAB, Mathematica, or the scientific Python ecosystem. I mostly remember playing games on my TI-84 in high school. We used it in class maybe once or twice. None of my college classes allowed graphing calculators on tests, so ironically I h…

I don't think there was ever a solid use case for graphing calculators in school, at least not in my experience? The curriculum didn't make good use of them and I'm not convinced it could have. There's little value in having every kid in the classroom replicate the same plot of y = sin(x) or whatever on a tiny screen. And other than such demonstrations... what are you gonna do with it? It was never flexible or powerf…

> You weren't going to run circuit or physics simulations on a TI-89.

Well, I wrote a couple of programs that were useful for quite a while. They involved electromagnetism and changing frames of reference. I definitely was able to do quite a lot of Physics with my Ti-89.

Re: Zero ZGC4: A Better Graphing Calculator for School and Beyond

#27

Post by Dylan16807 »

skywal_l wrote: post #10

> USB-C charging—no more scrambling for AAA batteries Bear with me if you’ve already seen this comment, but I dug out my old TI-89 a while ago for some reason, and all I had to do was plug in four AAA batteries and it worked. If it had been fitted with a rechargeable battery, 30 years ago, even assuming it was still functional, I would have needed to recharge it... but with what? Now we have USB-C rechargeable AA/AAA…

> but with what?

The reason it would be a problem is because USB didn't have a suitable port in 1998.

Upgrade to 89 Titanium and it already has a USB (mini) port built in. Mini is not ideal but it's fine. You can get a whole pile of mini and micro adapters for a couple dollars.

The fact that batteries wear out is a significant issue for longevity. Backwards compatibility is a solved problem if you use USB.

Re: Zero ZGC4: A Better Graphing Calculator for School and Beyond

#30

Post by pjmlp »

harshreality wrote: post #19

No approval for AP/IB/SAT/ACT, as far as I can see. No RPN. Every modern graphing calculator needs a mode (doesn't have to be the default) with RPN and a visible (4+ entry) stack. Once people actually learn how to use that for rapid, efficient calculations, they won't go back, but they never learn because all the major calculators don't even offer it as an alternate mode. That's the killer app for "graphing" calculat…

Depends on the country, not every country has calculator mafia telling the students what brands are allowed.

HP were cool, yet Casio FX tablets with plain BASIC dominated engineering in Portugal, FX-850P were the models we were after.

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