Texas Instruments TI-89 Advanced Graphing Calculator
by Texas Instruments
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Our Price: $249.25 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $49.94 (click here) Category: CE See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Texas Instruments TI-89 Advanced Graphing Calculator
Customer Review: It's GREAT, but makes you lazy!
Summary: 5 Stars
This calculator has gotten me out of more sticky situations on math tests than any amount of studying, programming, or use of any other calculator ever could. Really.It's incredible! It integrates (not just the numerical kind like on the 83!), takes derivatives, and does just about anything else you can imagine (it even does 3D graphing, a feature for which I've yet to find a use... but it's neat!).
Doing calculations takes about half the time on the 89 because you can go back to any of your past 100-some calculations and bring that number (exactly!) into the current calculation. I've found this feature extremely helpful in physics.
The physical calculator is also a quantum leap ahead of the TI-83. The buttons are much larger, the keys are more clearly marked, the case is much rounder, smoother, and cooler looking, and most importantly, the screen is about twice the resolution of the 83's! Graphs look clear, as do numbers and text.
There are only two problems I've found with the 89:
1. I often lose what I make up for on the calculator sections of tests on the non-calculator section simply because I took less time to really review and understand the material.
2. It takes a bit of getting used to.
Whether or not you can maintain good study habits, the 89 is the best, most comprehensive, easiest to use calculator in the world. Fantastic!
Customer Review: DERIVE, in your pocket.
Summary: 4 Stars
This calculator is undoubtably TI's best yet. All of the features of the 92+, except Cabri Geometry (which may be added) are present here, at less cost and in a smaller case.I wouldn't recommend this calculator to high school students who think they'd be tempted into not learning the math. And for engineers and others who deal with a lot of numerics, I'd recommend the HP 49 (despite its easily scratched screen).
What this machine excels in is symbolic manipulation. It's like having a copy of Soft Warehouse's DERIVE on a dedicated, portable machine. The calculator excels at solving equations and can even handle some differential equations. There have been several integrations for which the 89 has given me cleaner results closer to the form I expected than Wolfram Mathematica or Waterloo Maple.
It's programmable (with growing support from the consumer end), and people have written software that does LaPlace transforms, Bessel functions, 3D CAD, and more.
The 3D graphing engine, TI's main selling point, leaves a lot to be desired (it only does two variable functions--no parametric plots, CAD, implicitly defined surfaces, etc) but the rest of the graphics are nice.
While this machine is not as powerful Mathematica for symbolic math or MathCAD for numerics, it is an excellent tool and the best all-around machine out there.
Customer Review: VERY useful throughout HS and college
Summary: 5 Stars
If you're taking Calculus 1 and 2 in college, the TI-89 will get you through the course if you're any competent with theoretical math.I took AP Calc (and got AP Credit for calc 1), Calc 2, 3, and Advanced Engineering Math using my TI-86 and in retrospect, if I had the TI-89 it wouldn't have made a difference, BUT most of the ideas and concepts covered in Calculus 2 can be easily done on the TI-89.
Overall, I would not use the TI-89 for engineering work because it's slow to convert units. The menu system is funky and slow, so converting from metric to SAE takes a bit longer.
For math courses and theoretical stuff on a college level or graduate level, go with the TI-89.
If you're in middle school (grade 7-8) you might as well get a TI-89 for Christmas and start familiarizing yourself with the features. Slap in some assembly level games and amaze your friends (well not really, you youngins now have Gameboy Advance and all that fancy jazz but Tetris on a TI-86 amazed quite a few folks back in the day). The TI-89 will serve you well even after you get a 4 year engineering degree!! Unless your instructor(s) don't allow the use of a calculator because they want you to do everything with a pencil and paper like they did in the 1700s.
Also, get four 750mAh NiMH rechargeable batteries and save yourself a lot of money in the long run.
Customer Review: Best Graphing Calc Out There
Summary: 5 Stars
Don't let the 92's name affect your opinion of the 89. The keyboard is useless and geometry isn't that helpful unless your taking an advanced geometry course (post-High School). Well, with those features removed and the price dropped, this 89 is all that you will ever need. Don't get too addicted to it however; you've got to spend the time actually SOLVING the equations once in awhile. It becomes very easy to become over-dependant on the calculator, so you have to gauge yourself every once in awhile. It's a good thing my Advanced Algebra + Functions teacher never let me use this mini-computer on any of his tests or quizzes. I'd be the first one finished but I'd never have the steps to prove I'd actually done it!
In Honors Pre Calc I actually get to use this, and most of my class has 82s or 83s, so they're stuck factoring and all that tedious stuff while I'm playing Tetris (the version that actually moves when you press the keys).
Games on this calc are phenomenal. There's a version of Final Fantasy 7 and of Street Fighter that are great! They take up lots of memory, but they show off the power of this calc quite conspicuously. Every website on TI-89 games has a large variety games...THEY'RE FREE!
Though the calculator is still a little expensive, it is a must-buy for high school honors math.
Customer Review: Incredible Tool, but not for everybody
Summary: 5 Stars
This calculator is an incredible piece of machinery. It can perform hundreds of tasks, and provide you with tools, such as the program editor, to perform thousands more tasks. It will make many subjects, like Algebra I and II, Precalculus, and the beginning of Calculus a breeze. However, this calculator is by no means for everyone. If you are currently taking Algebra I or II, it's really nor necessary. In fact, it is much less user-friendly than some other calculators, primarily the TI-83, which is recommended by most high school teachers. The TI-83 is also built for statistics, and even though the 89 can perform the same statistical functions, it is definitely not as easy. In addition, most people who will not take Calculus or higher mathematics courses could be adamant to shell out the money required to purchase this item, and instead, once again, go with the much cheaper TI-83. Basically, it is incredibly powerful, a necessity for engineers and other advanced math students, makes math a breeze, and will help you in math immensely. But, unless you are really lazy and don't want to do the work, if you can afford [paying] for a new calculator, or if you are planning to take other advanced math courses, this calculator is helpful but overall not required. I give it 4 stars because I use it frequently.