Garga Posted July 9, 2018 Share Posted July 9, 2018 My son needs a graphing calculator for pre-calc in the fall. The one the teacher recommended is $115 (Ti-84 plus). I see others on Amazon for $35-$40. With a pricing difference of $75, there must be a reason, right? I don't know anything about graphing calculators as I have never used one (never made it past Alg II.) Can I get one of the cheaper ones, or is that a mistake and my son will honestly need the more expensive one? I don't want to spend money on a $40 calculator that doesn't do what it's supposed to do, and then have to turn around and get the $115 anyway. That's a waste of $40. But I don't want to buy the $115 one when the $40 one was just as good. That's a waste of $75. @regentrude As a college math professor, do you have any insight? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hollyhock2 Posted July 9, 2018 Share Posted July 9, 2018 I am totally listening in on this. I'm also wondering about free apps like Geogebra. Couldn't we just use that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted July 9, 2018 Share Posted July 9, 2018 2 hours ago, Garga said: My son needs a graphing calculator for pre-calc in the fall. The one the teacher recommended is $115 (Ti-84 plus). I see others on Amazon for $35-$40. With a pricing difference of $75, there must be a reason, right? I don't know anything about graphing calculators as I have never used one (never made it past Alg II.) Can I get one of the cheaper ones, or is that a mistake and my son will honestly need the more expensive one? I don't want to spend money on a $40 calculator that doesn't do what it's supposed to do, and then have to turn around and get the $115 anyway. That's a waste of $40. But I don't want to buy the $115 one when the $40 one was just as good. That's a waste of $75. @regentrude As a college math professor, do you have any insight? I am sorry. I am a physics professor and have never in my life used a graphing calculator. Neither has my physics prof DH, nor my physics BA DD. Sorry to be of no help. It irritates me that they require one for a highschool class when you never actually need one 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kassia Posted July 9, 2018 Share Posted July 9, 2018 23 minutes ago, regentrude said: I am sorry. I am a physics professor and have never in my life used a graphing calculator. Neither has my physics prof DH, nor my physics BA DD. Sorry to be of no help. It irritates me that they require one for a highschool class when you never actually need one My engineer husband feels the same way. My older kids attended ps, and graphing calculators were required when they took Algebra 1 in 7th grade! So unnecessary and we weren't happy about them bringing valuable electronics to school with them (this was before kids had smart phones! ? ). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted July 9, 2018 Share Posted July 9, 2018 1 minute ago, Kassia said: My engineer husband feels the same way. My older kids attended ps, and graphing calculators were required when they took Algebra 1 in 7th grade! So unnecessary and we weren't happy about them bringing valuable electronics to school with them (this was before kids had smart phones! ? ). Yikes. Who on earth needs a graphing calculator for algebra 1??? I would be livid. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kassia Posted July 9, 2018 Share Posted July 9, 2018 6 minutes ago, regentrude said: Yikes. Who on earth needs a graphing calculator for algebra 1??? I would be livid. Well, this is going off-topic, but a lot of the newer elementary school math curriculums require students to use basic calculators starting in first grade! It's ridiculous plus the teachers have to spend class time teaching the kids how to use the darn calculators. ETA: Correction - starting in kindergarten http://everydaymath.uchicago.edu/parents/understanding-em/calculator/ 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted July 9, 2018 Share Posted July 9, 2018 1 minute ago, Kassia said: Well, this is going off-topic, but a lot of the newer elementary school math curriculums require students to use basic calculators starting in first grade! It's ridiculous plus the teachers have to spend class time teaching the kids how to use the darn calculators. I know. I then get these students in my college classes. They reach for the calculator if they have to multiply a number by 10. No, I am not exaggerating. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootAnn Posted July 10, 2018 Share Posted July 10, 2018 I am not a fan of graphing calculators or calculator use in general (unless you are doing accounting or balancing your checkbook when you haven't been keeping it up to date). However, as Kassia pointed out, many textbooks include problems specifically for calculators. So, if you are outsourcing your math and have one of these texts, you might want a graphing calculator. My oldest just used her regular scientific calculator plus an online graphing program when necessary for Alg 2. She did buy a graphing calculator for Pre-Calc that she will also use for Calc AB this year. Hers was a different one than what you listed, but it was pricey. I can't answer your question, Garga. I will say that my DD had to learn how to use her calculator on her own because the teacher and all the other students i. her online PreCalc class had the TI-whatever and hers was not. So, the instructions the teacher gave for how to use different functions (matrices, statistics, polar coordinates, etc) did not work for her model. (Her model was one of the two listed as being acceptable for the class- but no one else had one.) You could try to get away with using a free online graphing progra. at the start of the semester and if he does need one, get it after the class starts. Or, you can email the teacher with your question and links to the models you are looking at. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted July 10, 2018 Share Posted July 10, 2018 My kids are using the Texas Instruments TI-84 Plus CE Graphing Calculator which we bought two years ago during back to school sale for $89. It was also $89 during last year’s back to school sale at Target, Walmart and Staples. DS13 has used that calculator for AP Calculus BC last year, AP Chemistry and AP Physics C exams this year so it does do what it is supposed to do. He is finding the calculator easy to use for his summer AP Statistics class. My kids love the color version so we are glad we bought them during the back to school sale. My DS13 sometimes plays PacMan on his. https://www.amazon.com/Texas-Instruments-TI-84-Graphing-Calculator/dp/B00TFYYWQA 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
City Mouse Posted July 10, 2018 Share Posted July 10, 2018 The TI's are good quality ad last a long time. I bought one for my daughter as required when she was in high school. It lasted through her high school years and she used it in college. Then her younger brother (7 yrs younger) got it as a hand-me-down when he started high school (even though it was neon pink). He is pretty rough on stuff, and he would not use the pink one in public, so I did end up getting a new one late last fall. $80 for an electronic device that lasted 8 years seems pretty economical to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gstharr Posted July 10, 2018 Share Posted July 10, 2018 My new 8th grader only started using the ti-84 with pre-calc. In theory, if a graphing calc is required any graphing calc will do. I know several who are happy with cheaper, and even more modern brands. But TI seems to own the educational market. Ti 84, and variations , are the teaching standard. All calculator use instruction is demonstrated on the ti-84. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeAgain Posted July 10, 2018 Share Posted July 10, 2018 My son used a casio FX-9750. It was at least half the price of the TI, did everything the TI did, and was more user friendly and intuitive. He had the time at home to learn how to use it before taking it to a class and even his teachers were impressed at how well it performed. They let him know up front they couldn't help him because they only knew the TI/he was welcome to borrow a school one during class, but he never needed it. He's in his second year of college and still totes that thing around rather than replacing it with anything from Texas Instruments because it still meets all his needs. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wendyroo Posted July 10, 2018 Share Posted July 10, 2018 10 hours ago, City Mouse said: The TI's are good quality ad last a long time. I bought one for my daughter as required when she was in high school. It lasted through her high school years and she used it in college. Then her younger brother (7 yrs younger) got it as a hand-me-down when he started high school (even though it was neon pink). He is pretty rough on stuff, and he would not use the pink one in public, so I did end up getting a new one late last fall. $80 for an electronic device that lasted 8 years seems pretty economical to me. Very true. My parents bought me a TI-85 back when I was in high school (late-90s and it cost ~$100 back then too) and that thing is still going strong. All through high school, college, and up to the present I have used it as my everyday calculator. Now my oldest LOVES playing around with graphs on it and seeing what various functions look like. The amazing thing is that I only have 2 or 3 memories of changing the batteries. That is not many batteries to keep a calculator going for 20+ years!! Wendy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jann in TX Posted July 10, 2018 Share Posted July 10, 2018 You really need a calculator like what the instructor is using (especially for high school upper level maths). My youngest dd is in PS-- last year in her honors Algebra 2 she was at a disadvantage because she was using our older TI-84 Plus Silver. There were several times when dd struggled because she did not have the appropriate calculator for her homework (of course she did not tell me until her test score dropped!). Sure, there are apps you can use at home-- but you cannot use them on the tests-- and the problem types could not easily be solved by hand-- in fact many problem types tests were designed to be worked with the calculator-- so impossible or too difficult to be worked by hand. On at least one test there were specific questions about how to key a problem into the calculator! --I do not require (or suggest) a graphing calculator in any of my classes (up through Algebra 2). My partner teacher who teaches the Pre-Calculus class will suggest a graphing calculator-- but teaches how to do problems by hand first and is fine with apps being used on the FEW problems specifically designed for graphing calculators. In upper-level classes that require a graphing calculator there will most likely be problems designed to be worked on one-- and in that case it is best to have the recommended model. My dd will be taking honors Pre-Calc this coming fall-- I'm starting to look for the Back to School sales as we will be adding the current model to our collection and I know that dd WILL need it and WILL use it in class. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAJinBE Posted July 10, 2018 Share Posted July 10, 2018 I agree it is ridiculous how much they use the graphing calculator. I'm a EE and never needed one. But helping my dd with her Pre-calculus course I learned that it was needed for specific problems. The book would actually have graphing calculator problems that they had taught the key strokes for in the chapter. If you don't have the same one you will have to figure it out on your own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkT Posted July 11, 2018 Share Posted July 11, 2018 TI84 newer models go on sale soon at Walmart! The other choice is the TI 36X Pro: https://www.amazon.com/Texas-Instruments-Engineering-Scientific-Calculator/dp/B004NBZB2Y Does everything EXCEPT graphing for $19 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sneezyone Posted July 11, 2018 Share Posted July 11, 2018 Prime day is coming soon. I’d watch for one then too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa in the UP of MI Posted July 11, 2018 Share Posted July 11, 2018 Thanks for the info on the upcoming sales. DH and I have a few graphing calculators from high school/college but not the one used for dd's class (TI 84+) so we'll be getting a new one. Good thing I didn't purchase it yet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicholas_mom Posted July 23, 2018 Share Posted July 23, 2018 Hi Garga, My son is in the same class as yours, I think. Which did you decide? Here is the 60$ https://www.amazon.com/Texas-Instruments-Ti-84-Graphing-calculator/dp/B00XOLOQMK/ref=sr_1_2?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1532354691&sr=8-2&keywords=graphing+calculator+ti84+plus What is the difference with this one at $112 https://www.amazon.com/Texas-Instruments-84PLCE-TBL-1L1/dp/B01NC0PLBO/ref=sr_1_1?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1532354691&sr=8-1&keywords=graphing+calculator+ti84+plus It looks like the more expensive one has more bells & whisltes???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lecka Posted July 23, 2018 Share Posted July 23, 2018 My husband took College Algebra recently and bought a cheaper Casio instead of the recommended TI. Okay, if you invest the time to learn to use the calculator, I don’t think it matters. But in my husband’s class sometimes there were keystrokes given for the TI, like pictures of the buttons to press to do a certain thing. Since he had the Casio he had to go and watch YouTube videos to learn how to do the same procedure, it wasn’t taught to him in the class like it was with the TI, and so he had to figure it out for himself. He was just getting through College Algebra and it worked out for him, but it was harder for him since he had to learn how to work the calculator on his own. But that is the highest math he will take, he has completed the math requirement for his degree now. So I think there is a lot of context around how much math will be taken, and whether it is an investment to learn to use a certain style of calculator, or actually a disservice compared to doing things by hand (or just learning things instead of punching in numbers), and how much math is going to be taken and how much use a calculator is going to have long-term. And then also — how hard it will be for a student to figure out a calculator without getting instruction in how to use the specific calculator that is purchased. For my husband to pay less for the Casio just to get through College Algebra I think was fine. But if he were taking more math I would hate for him to have to learn how to operate the calculator on his own from YouTube videos for every single thing. There is some investment in learning how to operate a specific calculator I think. The keystrokes aren’t the same and there is a learning curve. So to me I think it depends if someone will just be getting through a math requirement or if they will be doing more math or trying to learn more or just get through a class, plus how hard it might be for them to figure out how to use a calculator when the rest of the class is being taught to use a specific calculator while they have to figure it out themselves from the instruction manual and YouTube videos. You might also take a look at what YouTube videos are available for the calculator you are looking at. I helped my husband some and frankly for some things I needed a YouTube video, I struggled to figure it out from the instruction manual. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lecka Posted July 23, 2018 Share Posted July 23, 2018 Literally — his textbook would have a series of keystrokes for the TI, and instead of just doing the keystrokes from the textbook; he would be on his own to figure that out on the Casio. And it is not that easy to figure out. It’s not that hard, but it’s definitely something extra to figure out in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lecka Posted July 23, 2018 Share Posted July 23, 2018 At the end of the day my husband did get a B in College Algebra with a Casio graphing calculator. I think if he were going to use a calculator more, it would be worth it to get the TI, though. And also worth it to learn more about graphs instead of just plugging numbers into the calculator! But honestly my husband just needed to get through his math requirement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lecka Posted July 23, 2018 Share Posted July 23, 2018 If you think your kids will go further I think it’s better to learn to use a graphing calculator that will be used in further classes, since they are operated differently and there is a learning curve. But maybe kids in that situation also pick up the operation of a graphing calculator more easily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lecka Posted July 23, 2018 Share Posted July 23, 2018 https://www.dummies.com/education/math/ti-83-plus-graphing-calculator-for-dummies-cheat-sheet/ I just googled something with keystrokes..... okay, for this, everything it is showing in a box is showing what button to push on a graphing calculator to do a certain thing. These directions are different on different calculators. So if there are instructions provided this way for the recommended graphing calculator (aka directions to press certain buttons aka keystrokes) then if you get a different graphing calculator, your student may need to figure out what keystrokes to use independently instead of just pressing the buttons the book says to press to do a certain thing. Literally in my husband’s book there would be a series of keystrokes (the rectangles) shown and they would work for the TI recommended, but not for the Casio. Yes the Casio did the same things but students had to figure out how to use it on their own. Aka from YouTube or the instruction manual. Using the instruction manual, to me, is harder than it sounds. It’s not that easy to me. I’m sure to others it is not big deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lecka Posted July 23, 2018 Share Posted July 23, 2018 Also just for the record, my own kids will receive a better math education than what my in-laws thought was acceptable for their kids (my husband, SIL, and BIL). But I am sharing my husband’s experience to just get through College Algebra and complete his math requirement, with a sub-standard math education and also with it being 15 years since he was in high school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HollyDay Posted July 23, 2018 Share Posted July 23, 2018 On 7/9/2018 at 8:30 PM, City Mouse said: The TI's are good quality ad last a long time. I bought one for my daughter as required when she was in high school. It lasted through her high school years and she used it in college. Then her younger brother (7 yrs younger) got it as a hand-me-down when he started high school (even though it was neon pink). He is pretty rough on stuff, and he would not use the pink one in public, so I did end up getting a new one late last fall. $80 for an electronic device that lasted 8 years seems pretty economical to me. This has been our experience also. I bought oldest dd one back in 2012 when she took a pre-calc high school class. She went on to use it for 2 college classes. Youngest dd used it for 2 high school classes and is now using it at college. Neon pink has not been a problem for us ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted July 25, 2018 Share Posted July 25, 2018 On 7/23/2018 at 7:11 AM, Nicholas_mom said: What is the difference with this one at $112 https://www.amazon.com/Texas-Instruments-84PLCE-TBL-1L1/dp/B01NC0PLBO/ref=sr_1_1?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1532354691&sr=8-1&keywords=graphing+calculator+ti84+plus My local Target has it on sale for $99.99 at the back to school aisles. I’ll wait for the price to drop further if you aren’t in a rush to buy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Another Lynn Posted July 25, 2018 Share Posted July 25, 2018 Does anyone know the difference between the TI-84 Plus and the TI-84 Silver? I have the Plus, but classes requires the Silver. ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gstharr Posted July 25, 2018 Share Posted July 25, 2018 That is an odd requirement. As I understand it, the the silver upgraded an older platform. The Plus was a new design: more power and functionality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Another Lynn Posted July 26, 2018 Share Posted July 26, 2018 13 hours ago, Another Lynn said: Does anyone know the difference between the TI-84 Plus and the TI-84 Silver? I have the Plus, but classes requires the Silver. ? 11 hours ago, gstharr said: That is an odd requirement. As I understand it, the the silver upgraded an older platform. The Plus was a new design: more power and functionality. Oops, I looked at the wrong thing. The class requires TI Inspire CX CAS calculator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alte Veste Academy Posted July 26, 2018 Share Posted July 26, 2018 4 hours ago, Another Lynn said: Oops, I looked at the wrong thing. The class requires TI Inspire CX CAS calculator. Oh wow. I wonder if the instructor would reconsider this. This calculator is not allowed for the ACT, and I would hate to buy one that couldn't be used if necessary. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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