Calculus and Calculators

College Life
1

I am currently taking a Calc 2 class and it’s a summer semester … 5 weeks of Calc 2 with the hardest professor. I managed to pull a 79 on the first exam. The professor is no joke - I was one of the highest 5 grades. I am working on this class everyday to try and get an edge. I am using a TI-83 Plus and I have been considering to upgrade my calculator since I started college. I am an engineering major…

I’d like a calculator that I can check my answer during exams. I am having issues setting up formulas for volume by slicing. Mostly having issues with the washer method… Do any calculators have the capabilities of 3D graphing, setting bounds and then calculating volume? I understand that there are downloaded programs for TI calculators. My professor’s website allows “TI-83, TI-83 Plus, TI-84, TI-89” … He doesnt say if TI-89 Titanium is allowed.

2

Get the 89, but I had a TI-84 in high school and it would neatly set up integrals. In college calculus I wasn’t allowed to use a calculator.

3

The TI 89 titanium can probably do that, plus you will find it useful in physics, if you are in an engineering track.

4

There are some calculators that can do that as I understand. But from what I’ve seen from friends who have these calculators, you’re going to spend damn near as much time learning how to make the calculator do it as you would learning to do it by hand.

5

TI-36X Pro. Why? Well, it’s a $20 calculator, for one. But also, when you take the FE Exam when you graduate, **YOU CAN’T USE THE TI-89/b. Only scientific calculators.

A better calculator ≠ better grades or understanding. You should realize this now because it’d be terrible for you to get to the FE Exam and realize the programs from your TI-89 were the only way you knew how to do basic problems.

6

Ti-89 because the electrical engineering tests are near impossible to finish on time if you don’t have one.

As an engineer, you should be adept at mathematics / fast enough at learning to know how to use the scientific one or figure it out in a day anyways.

7

That is interesting. My university didn’t allow any calculators on most math exams (including calc 2). In fact, I don’t recall every using a calculator on a math exam and I’ve taken over 20 math classes (finished this past spring).

8

I wasn’t allowed calculators in my calc2 class but I would definitely not do the 89 titanium. He specifically says 89 but not the titanium so if you get an 89, get the regular one. Even if it’s just an accidental omission or an out of date list, better safe than sorry.

9

I still haven’t bought a calculator. The professor surprised us today and told us there is a test on Thursday. I can’t believe it, we just had one on Thursday. This class is moving rapidly and although I understand the concepts - I usually make silly mistakes. I have my TI-83 that I never use, but I was hoping to find a basic utility that would tell me the area of a graph with bounds and rotation around an axis. Kind of like - enter the equation - the bounds - the rotation and get a numerical value. I don’t want to be shown the steps…

Well I did find the program and it’s more than I had hoped for. It’s too much. It’s cheating because it tells you the steps.

Im just panicking a bit because if I don’t pass this Calc 2 class then my schedule would be terrible in the Fall - I would only be able to take like 6 credits. My graduation date would be postponed significantly. Too much math and not enough time in a day.