I am on my third TI-83+ (my first two were stolen). My brother owns an 84, and I can tell you that it offers nothing that the 83 doesn't have. Many of the preloaded apps are useless (an address book? please!), and take up so much space that the memory increase is worthless. The 84 is a continuation of TI's tendency to offer huge amounts of style with little or no substance. I prefer the 83 for its streamlined design. The one improvement is that the slip cover on the 84 does not become loose with a great deal of use, which is a problem I have encountered with my three 83s. It looks as though the USB connectivity could be a plus (for the 83, you had to buy a separate connectivity kit to connect to a PC), however, most buyers will not need to connect their calculator to their PC. Texas Instruments TI-84 Plus Graphing Calculator
The new TI-84 Plus is a wonderful calculator. If anybody has had the TI-83 or 83 Plus, they know how easy and reliable it is. The 84 Plus is an all-around imprivement on the older version and even worth the additional $15-$20. I have had it since school started and have noticed than any problem I enter, it is solved immediately upon pressing enter, or solve. The speed is a great improvement over the 83-Plus. The computer features are nice, but rarely used by myself. For anybody who is supposed to buy a TI series calculator for school, the 84 Plus us definitely the one to pick up this year and for the next few years I assume. Easy, fast, reliable, durable, and even sleek. As long as you handle it properly and use it enough, you will get all of your $110 out of the TI-84 Plus.
This calculator is hands-down the best I have ever had the honor of using. While the TI-84 Plus may not have as much space or as many pre-loaded Apps as the TI-84 Plus Silver Edition, the TI-84 Plus offers everything a high school (possibly some college) math student needs in order to successfully learn and solve mathematics material. The TI-84 Plus comes loaded with several Apps that will make things even more convenient, such as a Probability Simulator and Cabri Jr., a great geometry app. Student looking to upgrade from the TI-83 Plus will find comfort in the fact that the TI-84 Plus is 2.5x faster and has 3x the memory than the TI-83 Plus. The TI-84 Plus is also extremely easy to hook up to your computer to transfer new Apps and updates to it using the USB port and the included USB cable. The TI-84 Plus will be a great investment for any student's education.
Many reviews have focused on what the calculator can do, but that's not all you should consider when buying something. Can something else do it better? Can something else do it cheaper? The answer to both of these questions is yes.
So you probably know what this thing can do if you've read the description or the other reviews. It can do all the standard scientific calculator stuff, it can graph functions and with some extra programs it can graph curves that aren't necessarily functions. It can numerically approximate integrals, derivatives, roots, etc. You can create programs and it has financial applications, but I don't know anything about them. It's also portable, which is a nice benefit.
The cons are a lack of a CAS, so there's no algebraic integration, factoring, integrating, or solving differential equations to name a few. The resolution is low and there is no ability to do 3D graphs. But these cons aren't enough to warrant the low rating. The proliferation of laptops and FREE programs that perform all these functions and more is the reason.
Did you know there's a free graphing calculator with CAS called Geogebra that you can download? It will do almost any calculation the TI-whatever will, it will graph everything with higher resolution, it will numerically and algebraically (if possible) calculate derivatives and integrals, and you can create applets with it. In case it seems like I'm advertising Geogebra (which makes no sense because it's free), check out the new Wolfram Alpha site as well. Another free graphing calculator, among other things, with CAS, including matrix algebra and curve fitting. There are many more similar programs or sites available.
Of course, if portability is your main concern and you don't have a laptop, then a TI-84 is an option, but I can't think of any reason that a professional who needs a calculator would want this over what I just mentioned. In particular, I don't know of any mathematician, engineer, or physicist (I only know a few anyway) who actually uses a TI. If they need quick calculations done, they'll use a scientific calculator or for more advanced needs, something like Mathematica or Maple.
This leaves the students and parents who are told that this calculator is a must-have, that it will be used throughout their entire career as a student. I'm a high school math teacher. These are not necessary. A calculator may be necessary at times, but believe me, a scientific one will do just fine. Unfortunately, some AP tests deliberately put problems that require a numerical answer and can't be done by hand in any reasonable amount of time. If this applies to you, you may have to bite the bullet and get something like this. In the meantime, students and parents should be asking their schools why these outdated machines are used in place of better, cheaper options.
Summary for the lazy: If you would pay full price for a 10 year old TV instead of taking a free lower end 2009 HDTV, then buy this item.'
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