# Best calculator for the PE exam



## Ronin

Hello all,

I'm looking into buying a calculator for the PE exam (Mechanical) this October.

What do you recommend?

I heard good things about the Casio 115ES and the MS plus.

I appreciate any feed back.

Thanks.


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## snickerd3

whatever you choose just make sure you study with the same calculator so you an get used it. And make sure it is on the list of approved calcs.


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## navyasw02

Ronin said:


> Hello all,I'm looking into buying a calculator for the PE exam (Mechanical) this October.
> 
> What do you recommend?
> 
> I heard good things about the Casio 115ES and the MS plus.
> 
> I appreciate any feed back.
> 
> Thanks.


I dont know which is the best, but I know I'm NOT using the TI-30X. I used an older variant of that calculator and it was awful. I think I'm going to go the HP route because it looks like those are the only two that are even remotely programmable.


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## CAPELS

Here is our link about "approved" calculators. Good luck.

http://www.pels.ca.gov/applicants/calculator.shtml


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## Ronin

Thank you, all.

I think I'll go with the CasioFX-115 ES unless anyone had issues with it.


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## Capt Worley PE

I used an abacus. Sure, I failed, but the look on the proctors' faces when I started using it was priceless.


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## ElSkippitoBandito

Bring two calculators. Make sure at least one is solar.

@Capt Worley PE: LOVE IT!


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## MSEE_PE

Ronin said:


> Hello all,I'm looking into buying a calculator for the PE exam (Mechanical) this October.
> 
> What do you recommend?
> 
> I heard good things about the Casio 115ES and the MS plus.
> 
> I appreciate any feed back.
> 
> Thanks.



Casio is the best, very intuitive, does alot of things much easier than the other 2 types. I used it for the FE and PE.


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## Paul S

MSEE_PE said:


> Casio is the best, very intuitive, does alot of things much easier than the other 2 types. I used it for the FE and PE.


I completely disagree, but I am from the RPN school.


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## Porta John

Casio is the best, very intuitive, does alot of things much easier than the other 2 types. I used it for the FE and PE.


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## Lily

I use the TI36X and I don't feel the need to use a more sofisticated one....Any one took the PE and thinks it's not a good calculator for the exam?


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## cableguy

I am using the FX115ES. I think it's a great calculator, but it CAN and DOES give you the wrong answer sometimes if you're not careful!

Try this:

(13.4-j50)/j5

If you type it in like (13.4-50i)/5i your answer will be wrong with the Casio.

You must use (13.4-50i)/(5i)

The correct answer is 10.35 angle 195 degrees.

From this simple example, you can infer that any time you're dealing with an imaginary number in the denominator, you need to use parenthesis.


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## FusionWhite

cableguy said:


> I am using the FX115ES. I think it's a great calculator, but it CAN and DOES give you the wrong answer sometimes if you're not careful!
> Try this:
> 
> (13.4-j50)/j5
> 
> If you type it in like (13.4-50i)/5i your answer will be wrong with the Casio.
> 
> You must use (13.4-50i)/(5i)
> 
> The correct answer is 10.35 angle 195 degrees.
> 
> From this simple example, you can infer that any time you're dealing with an imaginary number in the denominator, you need to use parenthesis.



The TI-36 also requires the brackets in the denominator. I use a TI-30XIIS (two of them actually) and I bought a TI-36 to try out and I found the requirement of using the brackets very annoying


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## civilized_naah

cableguy said:


> I am using the FX115ES. I think it's a great calculator, but it CAN and DOES give you the wrong answer sometimes if you're not careful!
> Try this:
> 
> (13.4-j50)/j5
> 
> If you type it in like (13.4-50i)/5i your answer will be wrong with the Casio.
> 
> You must use (13.4-50i)/(5i)
> 
> The correct answer is 10.35 angle 195 degrees.
> 
> From this simple example, you can infer that any time you're dealing with an imaginary number in the denominator, you need to use parenthesis.


The fx-115MS does not seem to have the problem. Surprising, because the ES is supposed be an improvement on the MS with the same chassis. Are you sure you are not misinterpreting the result, noting that -i^2 = 1. Don't mean to doubt what you are saying, but I don't have a way to check it without having a 115-ES.


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## cableguy

Yup. This was a problem in our Testmasters course. I did it with the calculator via the /5i method and it didn't match the book. I did it by hand and it did match the book. So I tried with parenthesis and it did match the book.

The display on the 115ES is better than the 115MS - or at least the older 115MS that the guy I sat next to had. His display was a lot more seven-segment-ish. The 115ES is pixel, and can display things a lot more intuitively.


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## BamaBino

cableguy said:


> I am using the FX115ES. I think it's a great calculator, but it CAN and DOES give you the wrong answer sometimes if you're not careful!
> Try this:
> 
> (13.4-j50)/j5
> 
> If you type it in like (13.4-50i)/5i your answer will be wrong with the Casio.
> 
> You must use (13.4-50i)/(5i)
> 
> The correct answer is 10.35 angle 195 degrees.
> 
> From this simple example, you can infer that any time you're dealing with an imaginary number in the denominator, you need to use parenthesis.


Thanks for the example. Do you (or anyone else) have other examples where we have to careful how we enter data on on the FX115?

(Btw, for (13.4-50i)/5i the magnitude is correct but the angle is 15 degrees.)


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## cableguy

Only other thing that's annoyed me about my Casio is that sometimes it doesn't pick up on all the button presses. Call me weird, but I like to enter 10000000 for 10MVA. It just seems to make things come out right when I enter the "long version" of the k-value. I've learned that I need to watch my zeros as I enter them... sometimes it doesn't pick them all up. I have 2 115ES's (one at home, one at work), and both of them act exactly the same way.


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## speedyox

I've got Casio 115 ES calculators.

I like them fine, but the manual is terrible. It's one giant sheet all folded up so I'm sure it'll count as "loose paper" and not be allowed in the testing room. You can download a pdf copy though and print it however you want. I printed it 8 pages to a sheet and like that a lot better. But since I'm in IL, I won't be able to bring it into the test with me.


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