PoppinBottlesMGT

@marcdvl,

It looks like the major thing the 89 holds over the Nspire CAS CX is that the Nspire CAS CX doesn't do 3d graphing?

My highest level of math so far is algebra, so I don't really know what this means. Is this something that people would miss?

noimagination

I'm going to offer a contrary viewpoint: you don't need a graphing calculator at all. Many courses will either restrict allowed calculators or make the problems computationally simple. In my opinion, sophisticated graphing calculators can actually hurt you in some courses because they reinforce lazy behavior.

When you actually need more power, MATLAB or other computer software will likely be the tool of choice.

I just use my ~$10 GED scientific calculator.

NeoDymium

Noimagination has a point. Why even bother with tools that are helpful? You can just put more work in to get an inferior result.
Forget MATLAB, honestly. Just make programs in assembly because using MATLAB reinforces lazy behavior.

PoppinBottlesMGT

"I just use my ~$10 GED scientific calculator."

The fx-260? That calculator got me through some sad and frustrated GED study sessions.

DROPOUTS UNITE!

As to the meat of that, my algebra professor made sure we knew how to do most things with or without. It's good to know how to do stuff by hand, but it's also good to know how to use all the tools around you to best solve a problem.

terenc

@NeoDymium. For many math classes, calculators are not even allowed on tests. For homework, you can just use wolframalpha, which is significantly more powerful and easier to use than graphing calculators.

NeoDymium

So what? Calculators serve quite a few functions that other devices simply cannot serve. Assuming that it won't be an extremely useful tool solely because it's not useful in every conceivable situation is more than a little foolish.

terenc

My point is that anything advanced that a calculator can do, wolframalpha can do better.

Furthermore, it's going to cost the OP money to buy the calculator. If a graphing calculator is only marginally useful, it might not be worth the money.

NeoDymium

Perhaps for your purposes, WRA is sufficient. Though it's a useful tool, it definitely has critical limitations.
I highly doubt your experiences are the norm. They are very much not the same as mine, FWIW.

terenc

While WRA is limited, it can perform anything that TI-89s are used for, and more (algebra, single/multivariable calculus, linear algebra functions, statistics distributions/functions/regression, discrete math, geometry, sets, vector calculus, fourier transforms, the list goes on).

A graphing calculator can be useful, however, but only because of its portability, and even then only if you're going somewhere there is no internet and no computers/your laptop.

If a calculator is required for a test, then obviously the OP should get one.

NeoDymium

I'm simply going to have to disagree with you on this matter then. I find a calculator(s) to be useful in many situations in which something like WRA would be quite insufficient.
To each his own, though.

mybad101

I have an 89 (won through award) and an 84 (bought) and the combination has been pretty killer for me through the last couple of years at engineering school. I personally like the 89 more because of it's functionality and the ability it gives to quickly check derivatives and integrals while doing homework. However, as somebody already stated, many professors won't allow the 89 on tests.

If you're on a budget, then 84 or 84/silver is the way to go.

I would also be on the lookout for a cheap, simple scientific calculator. I've had classes where graphing calculators were not allowed on tests and I had to run last minute to buy a scientific calculator for 30 bucks which I probably could have gotten for a lot less if I kept my eyes open earlier.

KamelAkbar

After reading this thread and thinking about it a little more, I really don't think I would have done worse on any test with a scientific calculator. In linear algebra, any matrix that required row reduction was 3x3 and required only a few row operations. The CAS sounds nice, and my TI-84 did help a lot when checking work, but I can think of exactly one time where I checked my work with my graphing calculator and found that it was wrong (on my calc II final I evaluated an integral and didn't realize that it wasn't a continuous function until I graphed it at the end). Using it to row reduce a matrix came in handy quite a bit in Physics 2 when checking circuits, but it probably does more for my peace of mind than for my grade.

terenc

^If you're allowed to use a Ti-84/89 on a test, I would by all means recommend doing so.

@NeoDymium: Can you specify specific technical advantages that a graphing calculator has over WRA? (aside from the portability advantage I mentioned, which is certainly a valid advantage).