Why would I want a TI 83 you may ask? What about the 89? It's a higher model, and has more buttons! Yes, that's exactly it, it has more buttons, and way to many features you won't use. I have a Ti 83+ (More memory than the origional, but same everything else) and it is great! It has built in Financial Apps, which is a nice addition (and helpful!) compared to the 82 (which it is also compatible with!). But the 89? Even the 85? They take greater than calculus students to even need/use those functions, and they are a much harder to learn calculator. The Calculus teacher at our school says that the 83 will get you all through calculus and most likely beyond college. My calculator, which is really easy to learn, came in handy the first day in Geometry. We had to figure an area of a wierd shape and we only had the co-ordinates, i punched them in, and POW, found the area. If you do get this calculator, a TI-Graph Link is a must, this allows you to download software and updates from TIs website, some software could almost be considered cheating, while others can be games for fun. Unless you want to spend $200 for a TI-92+ (not even allowed by most teachers, it's so powerful), this is THE calculator for you! Texas Instruments TI83 Graphing Calculator
As a math teacher, I would highly recommend for $5 more to get the TI-83 Plus. The are essentially the same calculators, except the Plus provides memory that will be worth more than $5 as you put programs on your calculator--a must for physics labs.
The beginner TI (81, 82, 83) calculators are great for high school math and business type college math classes. However, if you think you're going to head towards any engineering major in college (i.e. you're going to take calculus) you will want a more powerful calculator when you get there. I bought a TI-81 when I was in high school and it was great (then). When I got to college it was fine for first quarter calculus, but by second quarter I wanted something more powerful. I ended up buying the TI-85 which had a bit more of a learning curve, but was a much more powerful and useful tool. In retrospect I wish I would have bought the TI-85 in high school, but who knew! Bottom line... If I were a high school student looking at pursueing an Engineering study path I would go for the TI-92. If I were a high school student worried just about high school or thinking of a Business study path, I would buy the TI-83. Either way the TI is a great calculator, second only to HP!
I bought this calculator back in High School about 6 years ago and have not regretted purchasing it ever. It is a great calculator, which is the proverbial truth that it takes a licking and keeps on ticking. The only reason that I mention this is that calculators take really large beating in backpacks and this specific one handles those very well. In the 6 years that I have had this calculator it has worked flawlessly and I have taken it with me to collage, where it is serving me very well. I would very much recommend this calculator to anyone that needs a graphing calculator. It does not matter if you are in high school or collage. It's a great calculator. Further more unlike some of the other non-TI calculators and even the TI-86 and TI-89 this one is very easy to learn and use.
This product by Texas Instruments is the perfect blend of ease of use, many features, and overall functionality. This is the perfect calculator for the high school / college student. It does all you would need it to do all the way up through Calculus Honors. I enjoy the program writer function in which you can write your own programs to solve complex math problems, or you can use it to program you own games and what not. I can't justify spending more for a better model when this calculator has all you would need and then some.
I didn't have to have this calculator until 9th grade when I took Algebra 2. It has been the most reliable thing I have ever bought in my life. It's not needed for any level of math under Algebra 2. I'm now a college sophomore and am still using this calculator. I've been through trig., calculus, and stats. and it has been a lifesaver in all of them. I couldn't imagine taking those classes without the calculator. It is extremely durable. I don't know how many times I've dropped mine and it is still working. My one very important suggestion is that after purchasing your claculator, you should engrave your name or initials on it because a lot of them get stolen in school because they are so expensive.
The TI-83 is decent and supports pretty much any math function a high school student would need, and is sufficient for college students not majoring in math or physics, but it lacks some usability features found in the 85 and 86. The menu system of the 83 is much more time consuming to use. On the 85/86, commonly used functions go in a custom menu, and menus can remain open at the bottom of the screen while you work. This saves a ton of time over the 83, and to me is worth the difference in price. - Ti-83 - Calculator - Mathematics - Engineer'
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