Do I need to own a calculator for college?

[cchen]

I'm gonna be an EE major... and I gave my TI-83 to my bro. So do I really need a new calculator? How often do engineers use calculators in class? I have Maple, Matlab, Mathematica, etc, so I could use those to do calculations and whatnot if I'm in my room or on my laptop.

 

[iamme]

it's always handy

 

[diskop]

For Physics classes yes, math classes no.

 

[UglyCasanova]

Originally posted by: cchen
I'm gonna be an EE major... and I gave my TI-83 to my bro. So do I really need a new calculator? How often do engineers use calculators in class? I have Maple, Matlab, Mathematica, etc, so I could use those to do calculations and whatnot if I'm in my room or on my laptop.

Are you going to use your laptop on test?

 

[Supermercado]

I'd recommend one. I have a TI-89, but I had that in high school. If I remember correctly, the TI-89 was required for both my Calc I and Calc II classes.

 

[sk560]

yeap... it'll be very handy... for storing formulas and programs for complex calculations...

...... in addition to the cheat sheet.

 

[cchen]

I mean... I could always BORROW a calculator... Is it a necessity to own one?

 

[vegetation]

Best to get used to the operation of a specific calculator, load the necessary programs, so you can punch away during the exam. Not the best idea to learn what the quirks of your calculator are DURING the exam.

Originally posted by: cchen
I mean... I could always BORROW a calculator... Is it a necessity to own one?

 

[Mday]

cchen, if you can do 1.321242*1.11211 in your head, you dont need a calculator... of course if your classes allow you to use computers during tests... and of course the sin(ln(2.2))... you gotta love those...

i use my ti82 for my engineering classes. sure a scientific can do, but i use the 82 cuz of the ability to see multiple lines and record entries into memory etc...

 

[SerraYX]

My school (Bucknell) highly recommends a TI-89 for any Calculus classes or engineering majors.

 

[carrotunderscorecarrot]

you definitely need a calculator for homework (chem, math, physics...) and i'm getting by with a ti-86.

i go to the university of washington, and the policy is that no calculator is allowed during math quizzes, midterms, and finals. the physics midterms/finals i've took were also designed so that a calculator wasn't necessary.

i guess it depends on the school you go to and your prof's policy. if you get a calculator, don't get anything too advanced or you might rely on its special functions and start slacking off.

 

[Cal166]

Had a Ti-82 and only used it for Calculus

 

[BL0RT]

ti 89 for quick derivations and integrations and most of all its capabilities to convert units. and get matlab cause that's useful too.

 

[hopeless879]

Originally posted by: cchen
I mean... I could always BORROW a calculator... Is it a necessity to own one?

If you plan on passing then yes.

 

[Harvey]

Do I need to own a calculator for college?

It's a little faster and more accurate than a slide rule, and it's kind of handy, unless you're really fast with logs, exponents and trig functions (and their inverses) to twelve to sixteen decimals.

Besides, you can tell the chicks your graphic calculator is a kewl new portable game device.