response 3 of 43:

May 16 01:36 UTC 2002

See what you can get for your Visor.  There are some pretty nice calculator
apps out there for PalmOS.

If you get an HP, get it somewhat before the class starts.  There's a bit of
a learning curve.

response 5 of 43:

May 16 02:48 UTC 2002

I use a slide rule.

response 7 of 43:

May 16 07:16 UTC 2002

I think I have an ancient Novus 4 function + memory, square root
somewhere.  It even has a home made power supply in an aluminum box,
which I built when I was a teen-ager.  I probably haven't used it in 20
years.

Normally, if I need to use a calculator, I use Unix.  "dc" has RPN,
which is cool.  If it's complicated, I'll write a C program.  I wrote a
C program once to figure out the interest payments on my mortgage, after
my mortgage got sold to a company that couldn't keep its math straight.

response 9 of 43:

May 16 15:19 UTC 2002

I also have, but rarely use, a TI-35 and a TI-81.  I got the 35 for my 
bar mitzvah in 1982, and the 81 for a calculus class in 1993.

response 11 of 43:

May 16 15:47 UTC 2002

I work with trigonometry all the time, in the land surveying profession. I
began by using an HP-42S, which I learned to program in surveying school to
do coordinate geometry. Then when I began to work in the office, I bought a
HP-48GX. I am now so accustomed to Reverse Polish Notation that I find it
impossible to use a TI or Sharp effectively.

response 13 of 43:

May 16 18:19 UTC 2002

I had a TI-85 for a while.  I'm not sure if they still sell that model; I
think the TI-86 replaced it.  It will do just fine for precalc and trig, and
uses algebraic notation.  They're pretty common on the used market, too.

I eventually got rid of it and got an HP-48GX instead.  I prefer the HP-48GX,
but it does have a steeper learning curge than the TI-85.  (It's a little
friendlier than the HP-48S, though.)  It uses RPN notation instead of
algebraic, which seems confusing and difficult at first -- but once you know
it, it's actually quicker and easier, and you won't want to go back.  HP-48
models are harder to find used, because a lot of people are like me and
don't want to give them up. ;)  They're extremely sturdy, like most HP
stuff.

There are some nice scientific calculator applications for the Palm, but if
the TI-89 and 92 are banned on exams they may not let you use the Palm,
either.  I also dislike having to pick up a stylus to do calculations,
instead of poking buttons with my fingers.

The HP-48 series use standard RS-232 serial signals for communications, and
offer Kermit or XMODEM for transfering programs and memory backups.  (The
connector is a 4-pin 1mm header.  You can buy a cable, or make your own.)
The TI calculators use proprietary interfaces and software.  That may not
matter to you, but I thought I'd mention it.

If graphing matters to you, the TI's graphing functions are mostly superior
to the HP-48's.  The HP will do pretty much anything you want, but its
graphing functions are slower and much harder to use than the TI's.

response 15 of 43:

May 16 18:49 UTC 2002

For you, I'd recommend a model with a minimum of buttons.  Something
spill-proof and easy to clean would be a plus.

response 17 of 43:

May 16 19:19 UTC 2002

If you're getting an HP just for the novelty, you might want to look for an
example of one of their older models.  They're a lot more idiosyncratic than
the new ones.  (Not that the new ones aren't, the old ones are just more
so.)  In particular, some of them had tall keys with one of the functions
printed on the vertical face of the key.

Incidentally, HP's keypad buttons are all two-shot molded.  The markings are
molded in and won't wear off with use.

response 19 of 43:

May 16 19:33 UTC 2002

You might also want to look at http://www.hpmuseum.org/.  They have
descriptions of most of HP's older models, and it looks like they have a
classifieds section, too.

response 21 of 43:

May 16 20:55 UTC 2002

The TI-89 has a different user interface, and I think has some enhanced
symbolic math and 3D plotting capabilities.  The TI-90 is a radical
departure from the rest of the line, and in some ways is more like a
palmtop computer than a calculator.  It has a 68000 processor (instead
of the Z80s in their other models), a QWERTY keyboard, a text editor,
and some fairly sophisticated symbolic math capabilities.  Unfortunately
the QWERTY keyboard disqualifies it for use on a lot of exams, so it's
not that great a choice for college stuff.  It's also expensive and kind
of bulky.

response 23 of 43:

May 16 21:02 UTC 2002

Hasn't HP discontinued its calculator line?