Re: Which TI does your school require
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Richard Taylor wrote:
> Well, I think I have to offer an opinion, here. For those about to buy a
> new graphing calculator, you should keep in mind that the TI-85 is a
> very old machine--The 80, 82, 83, and 92 have all been introduced since
> the 85 came out, and TI has learned a lot since the old 85 was designed.
> Of course the 85 still does a couple of things just really beautifully
> well, but it's so cludgy in so many areas that I can't see someone
> buying one unless they had a very specific purpose.
>
> And there is just no reason to buy a TI-82; it's replacement, the TI-83,
> is so superior that the 82 shouldn't even be considered. The 83 can be
> used side by side with 82s, there's a huge base of programs for it, and
> it's now got expanded capabilities with complex numbers, business and
> statistical functions, etc.
>
> I've had a number of students who thought that becuase the TI-85 has a
> bigger number and costs more that it must be better. Most traded them
> back in for an 82 or 83.
> --
> Richard L. Taylor
What about the extra functionality the Ti-85 offers, even if "cludgy"?
Granted, Ti's in general don't come with a surplus of functions, but
would you rather face a college engineering or physics curriculum with a
Ti-82/83, or a Ti-85? Considering all these calcs are not cheap, buying
one for high school, then buying another for college is a bit expensive.
Or does functionality not come into play here? Are these calcs being
recommended only as desktop chalkboards to teach precalc with,
disregarding any capability they might need outside the math classroom?
Sure, the Lady specifically asked for pre-calc machines. But as a
parent, if I can find one calc that will last my kid more than two years,
that is where the money will go. I say the criteria for such a calc
should not stop at the door of a math class.
<pre>
--
Mark Wilson
"You see me now a veteran
of a thousand psychic wars..."
</pre>
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