TI-89 Titanium or HP 50G?

[RoboDesigners]

I'm deciding on a graphing calculator for high school/college, and am looking at the Texas Instruments 89 Titanium and the HP 50G. Does anyone have any experience with either of these calculators and could help me decide?

I'm planning on a computer science or some type of engineering degree.

Thanks! :)

[AdamHeard]

I'd say don't buy one now, most of my early college classes strictly forbade calculators (especially the math ones). Wait until you need one and college, and until you find out what is and isn't allowed.

[EricH]

Be advised, the TI-89 is on the "No" list for several standardized tests.

Also be advised that you'll need to know what you're doing without the calculator in college--many profs like to disallow calculator use on tests, especially of calculators that integrate. (I had to revert to my H.S. choice, a Casio scientific calculator, for a college class's tests last year--graphing calculators weren't allowed either.)

Not having used either calculator (I use a TI 84+ Silver), I really couldn't say which one is better.

[offtopic] Comp science? Just program your computer to do the calculator stuff for you!:p:rolleyes:

[Joe Ross]

Both calculators will not have changed in a few years, and they'll be the same price too. http://xkcd.com/768/

[Branden Ghena]

I would have to recommend the TI-89. I have never ceased to be amazed by what it can do. Unfortunately, the downside of being able to do everything means lots of menus and input to functions that can be a little confusing even if you are a TI-83 family pro. Of course that's what the manual is for...

But in all reality you should wait and see what the calculator of choice is for your college before you make the investment. I have definitely made it though 90% of my classes at Michigan Tech without requiring anything better than calc.exe. On the other hand, that remaining 10% not only required a calculator, but in one instance the professor went as far to assume all students would have a calculator capable of as complex work as the TI-89 is.

[Scott L.]

I had a few college electrical courses where the TI-89 was mandontory for the class.:D

[gblake]

I'm deciding on a graphing calculator for high school/college, and am looking at the Texas Instruments 89 Titanium and the HP 50G. Does anyone have any experience with either of these calculators and could help me decide?
My immediate gut reaction is "HP". Of course I am prejudiced by having gone to college in the last century, at a time when HP sales reps would start their presentations by literally tossing their demo calculator high enough up into the air to hit the ceiling of the room they were in, and then letting it slam into the hard tile floor of that room. They would then proceed to use that calculator for the next 30-45 minutes of the demo (and do it all again an hour later).

That ruggedness, the simple sweet elegance of Reverse Polish Notation (YMMV) and their four value stack, plus the satisfying feel of their keyboards and cases made them the Cadillacs of the early days.

I suspect there is still an elegance to they way they are designed and operate, but I also suspect the differences between them and the TI (and other models) has been eroded quite a bit.

Blake

[ThaineP]

TI is generally good. Go with the TI-89.
It can sync programs with your computer, so you can find things like study help and stuff (or games)

I personally use my TI89T every day, and pretty much religiously for UMTYMP. It is very reliable, and the batteries generally last long. Overall, a very nice calculator.


Thaine

[EricLeifermann]

I only took several tests that wouldn't let me have a programmable calculator but that was only in my 1st 2 years of school, once i got into the core classes of my major the profs don't care what calc you use.

[Ian Curtis]

Be advised, the TI-89 is on the "No" list for several standardized tests.

AFAIK, it is only not allowed for the ACT. It is permitted by the College Board (http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/calculus_ab/calc.html) for all calculator active portions of the AP Calc exams, and for the SATS (http://sat.collegeboard.com/register/sat-test-day-checklist).

TI-89s are pretty handy even if you need to show work done out by hand, because they can check essentially any calculation. Everyone above is right in that they are often not allowed in freshman classes, simply because you've got to learn how to do it before you're allowed to let computers do it for you!

[Chris is me]

The TI-89 is explicitly not allowed on the SAT. I remember this pretty clearly.

Get a TI-84 Silver for high school. It's "good enough" for anything you need and it's almost a rite of passage to buy one and program games in BASIC in your spare time.

[NickE]

The TI-89 is explicitly not allowed on the SAT. I remember this pretty clearly.It is allowed on the SAT. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TI-89_series#United_States)

[EricH]

New one on me. The 89s weren't allowed when I took the SAT, though the 83s and 84s were. Though I might be a little off here, it's been a solid 4 years.

The CAAP (sophomore test at my college) bans them, but I think that's an ACT test.

[Cory]

Every major college is going to ban you from using the 89 in it's calculus series. After that you'll probably have no problem. That's 3-4 classes though, depending on whether you go to a semesters/quarters school.

I would wait until your high school teacher tells you that you need a specific model (likely an 83, 84, or 86), or until you get to college.

[Brandon Holley]

Even if classes ban you from using the TI-89, I still felt it was a useful tool to check your work outside of the classroom/tests. I got my TI-89 the beginning of my senior year of high school and used it for every class I had from then through my entire college career. It now sits on my desk at work and proves its usefulness everyday.

I'd follow the advice of everyone else on here and wait until you know a little more about the situation for using the calculator during tests. When you do decide you need one though, I'd highly recommend the 89.

-Brando

PS- My calculator was a "regular" TI-89, not the Titanium edition. Many of my peers had the titanium edition, and I'm not sure if it has more features or not, but I liked the look and feel of the regular one much better.

[JamesBrown]

Even if classes ban you from using the TI-89, I still felt it was a useful tool to check your work outside of the classroom/tests. I got my TI-89 the beginning of my senior year of high school and used it for every class I had from then through my entire college career. It now sits on my desk at work and proves its usefulness everyday.

I'd follow the advice of everyone else on here and wait until you know a little more about the situation for using the calculator during tests. When you do decide you need one though, I'd highly recommend the 89.

-Brando

PS- My calculator was a "regular" TI-89, not the Titanium edition. Many of my peers had the titanium edition, and I'm not sure if it has more features or not, but I liked the look and feel of the regular one much better.


I am also a big TI-89 fan. If my memory is correct the differences between the 89 and 89 titanium are the same as the differences between the 83 series and the 84 series. New interface, more ram, better screen, new case.

I would definitely reccomend buying the 89. I use mine all the time. It is not allowed in many of my classes but i still use it to check work and I use it any time I need to do math for projects or labs. My 89 has lasted me since junior year in HS.

The only reason I would reccomend waiting to buy it is that many teachers in HS only know how to use one type of calculator. Usually the 83 series. If your teacher uses the calculator in class then they may not be able to teach you to use yours. This is not a big concern since the 89 can do every thing the 83 can and then some. However you will need to learn how to use it your self.

[Lil' Lavery]

There are two primary differences between the 89 and the 89-Titanium, as far as I'm concerned. More RAM in the Titanium and a USB port. 95% of Titanium users, including myself, don't get proper usage out of the USB port, but the 5% of users who utilize it can do some absolutely awesome things with that calculator. One of my classmates converted PDF class notes and loaded them onto his Titanium.

[Tristan Lall]

I have a TI-89 Titanium, and I almost never use(d) it.

Outside of class, WolframAlpha (http://www.wolframalpha.com) is far better for calculus purposes. Excel 2010 is better for statistics and engineering formulas.

The USB link is nice in principle, but slow and really not all that useful. I've had the same idea about loading notes into the calculator, but implementation details like actually preparing machine-readable text instead of a handwritten formula sheet made it impractical. And those calculators are so backward that they use AAA batteries, and can't be recharged over USB. (That alone makes it an artifact of another decade.)

In test situations (if calculus/statistics/etc. must be done by hand) I use a Casio FX-991s (http://world.casio.com/edu/product/eu/closeup/up_fx991s.html) (the same one (http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showpost.php?p=410879&postcount=8) I've been using for around 10 years). It can do statistics in a pinch, but there's not really much need for that in a test situation.

[Gdeaver]

In addition to a calculator, I bought a student version of Mathcad and office for my son. I told him that he should be able to set up every problem he had in high school up in either excel or mathcad. He did learn to use both well in high school and took those skills into mechanical engineering. It was a huge advantage to take into college. Though, he really didn't stress those skills till the 3rd year.

[Mike Schroeder]

Just a heads up, a few weeks ago in my first calc class, my prof looked right at me pointed me out in front of the whole class and told me that i couldn't use the TI-89 i just bought over the summer on any of my calc tests... SO while I was looking forward to learning to use the TI89, I had to find an ancient 83 from someone.

[Mike Schreiber]

TI-89
More expensive
Traditional input similar to how you write equations
More people know how to use it (as far as peers)

HP 50G
Cheaper ($)
Must learn RPN notation
RPN is more efficient input method

It really depends on what interface you prefer. Something else you may want to consider: I'm a Junior at Kettering University in Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Physics and I only have an 83, you don't need the computer algebra system for every major. I have a friend who just uses a normal calculator for everything no fancy graphs or X's, just +, -, *, /, ^, ln.

My brother is a senior in computer science and he hasn't touched his calculator (because I stole it) in 2 years, since he finished multivariate calculus.

[Cory]

I bought an 89 before leaving for my freshman year of college because I heard how awesome they were.

WPI didn't allow calculators, period, in any calc classes and as a result I've used my 89 all of 5 times total.

I use an 83 everyday for my classes and 80% of the time I'm using it to solve matrices.

[gblake]

....
HP 50G
...
Must learn RPN notation


According to HP's web site (here (http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en/sm/WF05a/215348-215348-64232-30821-215350-3235173.html)) you are mistaken. They say: "Choose RPN, Textbook and Algebraic entry and customize data with four font sizes and styles".


RPN is [the] more efficient input method
...I agree 110%

Blake

[hallk]

If possible I would try to talk to your high school or potential college and see what they recommend. As a high schooler they will probably only let you use a TI-86. Depending on you major this should be able to do everything you need but the TI-89 will do it prettier.

[RoboDesigners]

Just wanted to say "THANK YOU!" to everyone who responded. I'm still thinking/waiting, but just wanted to express my appreciation! :)

[flameout]

I have used a TI-89 Titanium for several years. I have no experience with HP calculators, and am writing this under the assumption that this HP has a CAS.

When I first took the SAT in Fall 2006, the TI89 was allowed -- the rule, specifically, is that it must not have a full alphanumeric keyboard. It has been allowed since (I don't have any knowledge from before that date).

I have taken five mathematics courses at Oregon State University (still a high school student), and my TI89 was never a problem.

Specifically, I would compare durability and the CAS's ability between the TI and the HP. I've heard (and read here) that the HPs are more durable, but I don't have experience. I also recall reading somewhere that HP's CAS is less capable than TI's.

I would also look at the ease of use for both calculators -- I have no real issues with my TI89, but the HP might have oddly-named functions, or a lack of continuity in their naming/interface. The TI89 also has a catalog (and a "math" menu, and...) that helps you find functions that you don't know how to use (if you don't have the manual) or identify its parameters. HP's may not have the same thing.

I hope this helps.

[Alex_Miller]

If you ever need help using it (finding where menus are) more people will have TI-89's.

[Conor Ryan]

If you want to make money: HP 12C, thats what wall street uses.

If your going to be a professional engineer or planning on being a mathematics major, HP 50G is the way to go, its efficient and on the theoretical end is much more powerful, and will probably will save you a signifigant amount of time.

If you don't know what you want out of life yet, haven't gotten to Calculus yet, stick with a TI-83/84

If you have gotten to calculus and are at the point where you can explain in layman's terms what a partial derivative is, its about time for a TI-89. Professors at lower levels often do not allow these puppies on exams, in fact some math accreditation systems prohibit their use.

Its all about having the right tool for the job. Using a TI-89 or HP 50G in a spot where TI-83's will do the job faster, its not a smart choice to get the more expensive one (even if you think it will pay off over time as an investment)

[davidthefat]

I will get the HP 50G for the sake of being the less popular calculator. Its allowed in SAT, ACT and all the important tests like that, so I'm down to get that. Honestly, it looks like it can do everything I need, even more. It says in the HP site that you can change from RPN to Algebraic so I don't need to worry.

[AustinSchuh]

I've got the 50G, and really enjoy it. It's very powerful, and I find that the RPN mode is so handy that I can no longer do math correctly on calculators without RPN mode (or at least at nearly the speed as I can on my 50G). One side benefit of RPN is that you can save intermediate results very easily by just duplicating them on the stack. Apart from having to teach myself how to do a couple things on it in high school because the teachers had never seen one, I've never found anything that it couldn't do that a TI could.

[Greg Needel]

I have been using a TI-89 for a long time now, after moving from a TI-83 in High School. In the process of moving I have misplaced my actual calculator but I keep an emulator on my computer that serves me well. Like many said you will probably not be able to use it on basic calc courses but it will be a tool that you will be able to use forever.

[davidthefat]

I just ordered the HP 50G on Newegg, I hope I can learn RPN. I like the HP50G more cause its the underdog, Im not a conformist like the rest of my school LOL. Plus you can program in C, a major plus. And I heard once you go RPN, you can never go back


edit: plus it was cheaper :)



[offtopic] Comp science? Just program your computer to do the calculator stuff for you!:p:rolleyes:

Also that... I was seriously considering to write a program to graph polynomial graphs for me but I then realized that I can't take my PC to class and if I did, Wolfram Alpha would have been 10x better


edit of an edit: I just looked at the RPN manual... Its not complicated at all... LOL Its what I usually do with my regular calculator, just the operation is after the number

[Chris is me]

So your primary factor in calculator choice was "nonconformity" rather than features and test legality? Blind non-conformity misses the entire point of not conforming; the idea of non-conformity is skepticism with regards to why something is popular and used a lot, not continuous rejection. Sometimes there's a reason everyone buys the same calculator...

RPN gets a bit less intuitive at first when you add in more than one operation and stuff, but it's faster and stuff. It's not just "put the symbol last".

[davidthefat]

So your primary factor in calculator choice was "nonconformity" rather than features and test legality? Blind non-conformity misses the entire point of not conforming; the idea of non-conformity is skepticism with regards to why something is popular and used a lot, not continuous rejection. Sometimes there's a reason everyone buys the same calculator...

RPN gets a bit less intuitive at first when you add in more than one operation and stuff, but it's faster and stuff. It's not just "put the symbol last".

Yea yea yea, I checked the test legalities, its legal for all the tests I am planning to take and more so its fine. HP 50G is programmed in C so thats positive over TIs' BASIC IMHO.


bottom line: Im not regretting buying the HP 50G, it may look more archaic compared to TI 89, but it wass $40 cheaper

[davidthefat]

I got the HP50G in my mail yesterday and I had the opportunity to use it today during school, its amazing. Simple as that. It is faster than the TIs that my friends have, in fact it can handle huge exponents that would be buffer overflow for the TI. Not that I am going to use that big or small of numbers anytime soon, its great to know that it can do it. One of my favorite function if the Problem/Equation Solver. I just type in the equation (which I can save into memory) and fill in the variables and it solves the missing variable for me! Now thats really useful in my AP Physics class. Comes with a great carrying case too! Now that expediated my homework 50% (some arbituary number, but its significantly faster). I got in the hang of the RPN, I love it, I don't even have to retype the number, I can just do the memory stuff then voala! Yes not very descripive, but the bottom line is that HP50G > TI 84 SE and TI 89 Titanium...

and sorry for double post, I can't edit posts after a day or something

[gblake]

My immediate gut reaction is "HP". ...


I got the HP50G in my mail yesterday and ... I love it ...

It's good to know that the HP models have retained the features that make them great little tools.

Blake

[theprgramerdude]

I got the HP50G in my mail yesterday and I had the opportunity to use it today during school, its amazing. Simple as that. It is faster than the TIs that my friends have, in fact it can handle huge exponents that would be buffer overflow for the TI. Not that I am going to use that big or small of numbers anytime soon, its great to know that it can do it. One of my favorite function if the Problem/Equation Solver. I just type in the equation (which I can save into memory) and fill in the variables and it solves the missing variable for me! Now thats really useful in my AP Physics class. Comes with a great carrying case too! Now that expediated my homework 50% (some arbituary number, but its significantly faster). I got in the hang of the RPN, I love it, I don't even have to retype the number, I can just do the memory stuff then voala! Yes not very descripive, but the bottom line is that HP50G > TI 84 SE and TI 89 Titanium...

and sorry for double post, I can't edit posts after a day or something

The TI-89 can do both algebraic and numerical equation solving as well. They're rather equivalent.

[RoboDesigners]

The TI-89 can do both algebraic and numerical equation solving as well. They're rather equivalent.

But it doesn't have RPN...

EDIT: I'm pretty sure about that - I haven't looked at the specs in a while...