Best calculator?

RastaManBob

RastaManBob

RastaManBob

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A bit of weird question, but what do you think is the best calculator?

I got thinking today how a tool I use almost every day and throw it in my bag without any consideration is also one of the "cheapest" purchases that lasts so long - My calculator.

I've gone through many but tend now to stick with my Casio FX-991MS. I purchased a 991ES for some reason or another when I started University but it never felt "right" like the MS... I tried looking for another today (My current one is looking worse for wear) but they are hard to find since being replaced by the ES.

Can anybody recommend an alternative? What's the best calculator out there?

I know some might say use your phone/PDA/etc and whilst I've tried those in the past nothing has "worked" as well as a good old calculator! (Despite graphing being very nice on my Palm; Especially compared to a graphical Casio I had to purchase for A-level maths).

So, which calculator? :)
 
I use a fx-991ES and I have no issues with it at all. I don't do much massively heavy stuff, i'm just at uni doing Mchem course, but the equation solving is quite useful, which is something the 85-ES doesn't do.

Why does it not 'feel right'?

Nice PC btw!
 
I lost my 911ES and reverted to an 83ES which I actually prefer as it does enough and looks nicer. Matlab on the PC.
 
BigglesPiP said:
CASIO fx-991ES here. Like the natural display. As for a software calculator, MATLAB.
Click to expand...

Even though you can change between the Linear and Math IO I still prefer the MS without the natural display... I'm not sure why, maybe it's because the functions I need are most readily available (Less shift's, perhaps)?

Mainly looking at usual scientific/pocket calculator here... Though I agree, MATLAB is great for when I'm at the PC (Though I can see me firing up Wolfram|Alpha instead, for the odd quick calculation now...).
 
abacus.jpg
 
MATLAB is wayyyy over kill, use GNU R or Octave they're free and both excellent. In terms of calculator jeez no idea the last one I had was my trusty TI82!
 
What do you need your calculator for?

At uni I use the uni's "official" calc- Casio fx-85ES.

Before that I had (and still have) my trusty TI-83. Great stuff for the lazy. Graphing (and other stuff like areas under curves, intercept points etc), Matrices, Probability Densities and statistical tests. There were so many things and you can also program your own apps. A great but expensive piece of kit for the hardcore mathematician.
 
I was always a Sharp fan over Casio.

Still have my 2001 Sharp Graphical calculator to this date. God bless my A-Level in Mathematic Mechanics.

Being able to program in basic on it made for a lot of fun during boring lessons, we actually programmed "nibbles" (game like Nokia's original "snake", although nibbles predates it by a good decade!) into it :D
 
This:

com1540-1.jpg


I used to have one at home, not quite sure where it came from but I'm guessing my dad got it when his workplace moved to a new site in the mid 90's. You had to plug it into the mains, no batteries here.
 
The lack of a "real" engineering mode annoys me with the 991ES... You can press the "ENG" key but not have it do it automatically. Likewise, you cannot have it display the prefix (Such as M for mega) where the 991MS does do (It will literally say, for example, 3.5M instead of 3500000)... Further to this the 991MS lets you enter prefixes into calculations (E.g., 3m * 2K), which is not supported by the 991MS. As an electrical and electronic engineering student these are very useful... Lazy maybe (!)... But I like having them, and for that reason I do not get on as well with the 991ES.

I'm hoping I can find a spare 991MS for a reasonable price considering it appears approx twice the price of the 991ES now that it is has been replaced.

After looking for calculators the other day I stumbled over RPN (Reverse Polish Notation), which I'd never heard of before. After using it on online calculators for a few days I think it's fantastic! Very logical and lets you enter calculations as you would think of them, rather than lots of brackets. This means easier to input, less errors and faster due to the less key presses. It is very elegant indeed. Unfortunately it seems only HP sell calculators with RPN input mode. These are expensive, but that alone doesn't put me off - None of the HP's have a simple way to enter prefixes... They do allow units but that is literally like "MW" rather than simply allowing the use of mega without specifying a unit. Engineering conversion is also lacking (It has an engineering mode but not the ENG key like the 991ES and 991MS which I prefer [I don't like engineering mode all of the time but find being able to access it quickly very convenient]). Due to the sheer functionality the HP 50G requires a lot of effort to do even basic things. I thought I'd consider the HP 35S (The latest HP scientific, rather than graphic) but it doesn't seem hugely better and lacks some of the features I like from the 991MS... I wouldn't mind purchasing it as a second but at £50, I'd want it to replace my current model entirely, which I'm not sure it'd comfortably do.

Does anybody know of any other RPN calculators?

Cheers.
 
Anybody? Would like to find a cheap RPN calc as it seems none will be able to replace my 991MS entirely, so at the very least I'd like to get a calc that enables RPN input :)
 
gurusan said:
I love my TI-86+
Click to expand...

I still love my TI-80 from about 15 years ago - I still ise it most weeks. I also have a casio fx-992s from uni days (11 years old) and I think the most important thing is to find a calculator you a, know how to use and b, like the style it works in.

Fluffy
 
I've still got my fx-7000GB in my drawer at work which I originally bought for A-level. Can't remember the last time I used it though. I get by with a combination of Excel for complicated stuff, mental arithmetic for simple stuff and Calc if I'm feeling lazy.
 
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