al6200

Should I buy one if I'm an electrical engineering major?

bennis

I don't think you will really even need it's strengths until the later years. I am mechanical, and am planning on using my 84 plus silver for a couple years. Maybe ti will update the 89 series in the next couple years.

WashDad

My Son the Electrical Engineering Student lost his TI-89 at school and asked for a new one for his birthday. So, that's one "yes" vote.

Concorde

You will need one before you take any courses involving AC circuits since you need it solve systems of simultaneous equations which have both imaginary and real numbers in them. Also comes in handy to double check your work in math courses. For DC circuits any calculator will do fine.

Might as well just go ahead and get it in my opinion.

*Is an electrical engineering major*

Don_Quixote

they're definitely handy for checking your work in calculus...

al6200

Well, yeah. The only other thing to consider is that I know I will have a laptop with Maple. Should I consider that a valid replacement?

Concorde

I haven't used Maple, most EEs use Matlab at my school anyways, but I'd bet it can do it. However, you will need a calculator which can do this kind of math on your tests. If price is an issue you may want to look at a TI-86 or a non titanium version of the 89, I have friends who have both and they haven't complained.

embroglio

I have a TI-89, and although I am not an engineering major or anywhere close, I absolutely loved using it in high school.

The design/home page/tabs are so much better and so much more efficient than other calculators I have used in the TI series (although I haven't used the 93 or whatever it is...)

As someone mentioned earlier, it is great to use when checking math problems (particularly that of calculus,) and I think that even if you have some sort of program on your computer, it can be more convenient to use the 89 to check a problem quickly, rather than boot, start the program, etc.

It is certainly a worthwhile investment.

srunni

Definitely get the TI-89. I've had a TI-89 Titanium since freshman year of high school, and it's been extremely useful in checking work in math. The GUI is much more aesthetically pleasing and has many extra features. It's well worth the ~$30 extra.

hebrewhammer

For me, at least, a TI-89 is not simply $30 more, as I already own a perfectly functional Ti-84+ silver.
However, none of these calculators are worth anywhere near what they cost.

srunni

My post was directed at al6200, who has implied that he hasn't bought a calculator yet. It probably wouldn't be worth getting a TI-89 if you already have a TI-83/84 (though that's exactly what I did in 9th grade ).

But yes, they're not even close to being worth what they cost. That's because there's no competition in the market. Since everyone needs to be using the same calculator in a class to make it easy for the instructor to teach calculator-based activities, it's a problem that's not easily solved. Much like the operating system market - Windows dominates not because it's the best operating system, but because of the confusion that would be caused by differences in operating systems and the impossibility of simultaneously moving everyone over to another system in order to retain the homogeneity while switching to a better product.

siglio21

nSpire ftw

sberlin

Buy one from eBay That's what I did, a few weeks ago, got a brand-new 89 Titanium for $100...it seems pretty amazing

OKgirl

If you decide to get one, check out ebay or a pawn shop.

srunni

LOL are you serious?