Calculator Recommendations

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AMiller

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Can anyone recommend a good calc for the PE exam? I have been using a TI-30XA so far and I find myself needing to re-type a lot of calculations because it doesn't take them correctly the first time. I need to push the buttons much harder I guess. I think a calculator is something you really have to use a for a little while before you know whether you like it and trying it out at the store may not give you the real feel. Any suggestions would be helpful. Thank you.

-Andrew Miller

 
I am partial to HPs mostly because I went to school using RPN. I have heard the HP-35 is a good choice - does RPN and algebraic modes.

+1 LOTR!!

JR

 
when i took the exam I purchased the Casio and the TI to study with prior to the exam. I found I liked the Casio a lot better and ended up using that for the exam (with the TI as my backup). My Casio is sitting here with me at my desk and is now my primary calculator.

 
TI-30xA fan here. used 30s since 1979 (whenthey had big red LED displays).

 
I'm an RPN user, so, my recommendation is the hp 33s or 35s (I wonder why the 33s is a bit more expensive than the 35S) Also, you can save a bit of time doing the engineering econ with the hps, pretty easy to add a few formulas in the calculator: http://peexamhp35s.blogspot.com/

 
+1 for the Casio. I had the TI first and did not like the feel of the buttons or the capabilities. The Casio has a better feel and can do a little more.

 
I used the Casio fx-115es and for 16USD I bought 2.
Same here.

Granted this is a Civil thread, and for people searching for calculators: If you are doing Electrical, the TI won't get you very far, since it doesn't handle complex numbers well.

 
I got the TI36X-Pro thinking it would at least be comparable to the TI-89 (which is not allowed for the PE)

In college I used a TI-89 What a beautiful piece of equipment that was, I strongly believe that I passed all the math and physics courses and the FE because of it.

The TI36X-Pro is nothing like it of course. It doesn't solve equations algebraically (you have to plug actual numbers in) The solver has a limit of the amount of characters you can input, which is a problem with some concrete equations. Sometimes if I'm not careful and hitting the buttons quickly it doesn't register certain input which is disastrous in the end, especially since the screen resolution is small and I can't see the entire equation on 1 line to see if I input something wrong.

 
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