Thread: TI-89?

Taking a class that explicitly says it requires one (a stats class). I have a TI-84+silver, but I *think* I left my TI-89 Tit at home. I say *think* because, I have no idea where it is. So, if my parents can't find my TI-89, I'm in the market for a new calculator with the same functions. I'm not sure if I should get another TI-89 or if I should get another brand. Anyone have recommendations?

You might want to contact your professor; there is a difference in models. I forget what it specifically is, for example I recall a serious speed difference in doing something with matrices on the TI-83 vs the Ti-89 (ti-83 was significantly faster at w/e i was doing with matrices). Might apply to you, so there might be a reason they want the Ti-84...


Personally I greatly prefer the TI-89, especially with the function display and auto factoring (a godsend for math majors). I've been eyeing the TI-nspire though... been dying to try it out...


However, from my personal recommendations. Ti-89 all the way. I've used it from everything from basic trig, to all levels of calc, to pde's, to stochastic math, to stat, to linear algebra, up into rank 4 hyper complex math (e.g. quaternions, lie groups) (though these get a little tricky on the ti-89, given the nature of the topics)

Ti-89 is a very robust calculator that outshines the 83 and 84 in terms of functionality. Did I recall you saying that you were in a CS program, White? Auto-factoring is/can be very useful.

I'm not sure what areas/focus you are planning on pursuing but the 89 would be greatly beneficial for many mathematical areas including differential equations, linear algebra and all the stuff Bunni mentioned above. I'm nearly done with an Electrical Engineering/Computer Science degree and mathematics minor and I've managed to do it with only a ti-84 plus. I am grateful for the experience I got doing the absolutely ridiculous calculations in my control theory classes by hand, though an 89 would have saved me countless hours on homework assignments in calculus, linear algebra, and differential equations classes. I think I missed the golden point where an 89 would have been the most benefit to me, but heading into industry I will absolutely be getting one, if nothing more than to simply check my work.

That being said, the 84+ has served me well, it does matrix math, simple calculus, various regression calculations, statistics, combinatorics, and can compute complex calculations in polar and Cartesian forms. That was enough for me to get by but if I had an opportunity to do it all over again, I would have taken the plunge and gotten an 89. I am positive I would have gotten higher scores on some of my exams had I owned an 89 to check some of my polynomial simplifications/arithmetic that the 89 is capable of.

As for alternatives, my buddy has a sweet hp calculator that does some really neat stuff (though I had no idea how to use it), and I did briefly get to see my other friend's TI-nspire that bunni mentioned. I didn't see what all kind of functionality it had but the thing is a beast from the looks of it.

TI-83 silver edition is WAY WAY faster than any of the others

TI-84 is a slightly updated TI-83

TI-89 is for calc and is tons worse for programming on it..... (speaking from hundreds of hours of writing programs for them)