Scientific Calculator

[Siefer999]

fx-991ms

Does everything you will ever need to do.

exactly

[mrken]

they can !!!!

here i am wasting time, using the quadratic formula!!!
stupid x= opp. b +/- SQR (b^2-4ac)/2a

Really? I cannot seem to find where it is... The information is not in the manual either...

The model number is fx-991W.

[Nai]

they can !!!!

here i am wasting time, using the quadratic formula!!!
stupid x= opp. b +/- SQR (b^2-4ac)/2a

That's x= (opp. b +/- SQR (b^2-4ac))/2a

I used the Casio FX-260 for most of high school.
http://www.casio.com/index.cfm?fusea...=FX%2D260Solar
I was even using it for mostl of yr2/3 after the AC button ripped off (using an eraser tip) until I picked up a 520.

IMHO the CS260 was pretty basic in comparison to the Sharp 520 which had that nifty multi-root function as well as multiple lines of backstepping/retracing, most of which are helpful in yr2/3 but not as much help for calc/discrete.
http://www.sharpusa.com/products/Mod...8,1461,00.html

[Nai]

Agreed. Unless you're majoring in math in university, you won't need it. High school students would be tempted to use the calculator instead of learning how to draw the graphs themselves. That's more of a hindrance than an advantage.

I'm not so sure about math major midterms/exams, but I would prefer a laptop with matlab/maple for all of my graphing needs

[crazy_calc]

After reading this I got Casio fx-991MS, but then after a while I exchanged it to Sharp EL-520. I just couldn't get used to Casio "backwards" logic.

All I can say - it all depends on your personal preference. Yes, Casio will beat Sharp with it's features (3rd degree polynomials, matrices and vectors). But it comes at the price of Casio having many "modes" for simple things that can be done with 2nd Function button on a Sharp.

Sharp beats Casio with it's ease of operation and speed. Sharp has much faster calculation time - when Casio will go blank for half a second, Sharp will instantly display the answer. Easy way to see the difference between the two, type "sin cos tan sin cos tan 25" and see how much faster Sharp is, Casio blanks out for quite a long time (2 times longer, I would say).

It is critical to choose the right calculator, because on the test you want your calculator to go with you side-by-side, and not like "how do I do this?" and switching 25 modes. The problem with Casio - it has so many modes for basic things and switching those modes takes time. For example, say I got the answer and it's in degrees and I want to convert it to radians:

Sharp:

2ndF DRG>

Casio:

Press Mode 5 times, select RAD, press Shift, then DRG, then select Deg

Wow... Are you joking??? The test will be over by the time I do all these steps. If I have to waste so much time on something this simple I don't want any matrices or polynomials. And this is only one example, there are more. Say when switching from rectangular to polar - Casio is weird, first it asks to which form I want to convert (what if I change my mind later) and then instead of "r" and "theta" it will display "E" and "F". On Sharp it's just a matter of entering numbers and only then pressing >rTheta. Also on Casio a single memory can't be cleared, you have to either store some number or to reset all memories altogether by pressing Shift, then CLR, then Mcl. On Sharp you just press STO 0 and the desired memory is cleared, or 2ndF M-CLR to clear all.

I am not saying Casio is a bad calculator, I am just saying that it depends what YOU like better. Most people like Casio better, but it's not better for everybody. Personally I like Sharp calculators a lot (EL-5xx series), and don't know why everybody is so crazy about those Casio. Before buying a calculator see which one suits you more by trying it for some time - later it will be your best friend on a test, so choose it carefully.