# Which Calculator is better?



## chako (May 18, 2010)

Which calculator is more better/more usefull ?

Casio or HP ?

Thanking in advance...


----------



## Dexman PE (May 18, 2010)

LOTR + TI = epic awesome.


----------



## Paul S (May 18, 2010)

It all depends on the user. I prefer HP because I excel with RPN. I can't do anything on a normal calculator.


----------



## Ble_PE (May 18, 2010)

Paul S said:


> It all depends on the user. I prefer HP because I excel with RPN. I can't do anything on a normal calculator.


Real men don't RPN!!


----------



## roadwreck (May 18, 2010)

chako said:


> Which calculator is more better/more usefull ?


The one you study with


----------



## wilheldp_PE (May 18, 2010)

Casio, hands down.


----------



## Angstrom (May 19, 2010)

If you are good with RPN, then you'll be able to solve problems faster by using fewer keystrokes. (Not _that_ much faster, but on a test like this, time is precious.) I think that's the biggest advantage of the HP. Also, the HP looks much more professional; it has style.

Based on what I've read, the Casio has a few more built-in functions, but I didn't run across any problems on the exam that exceeded the capabilities of the HP. The HP is programmable, so you can add functionality, but the only program I actually wrote was for calculating a 3X3 determinant, and you probably won't even need that.

You'll want to bring two calculators anyway, so consider getting one of each. Make the HP your primary calculator, practice with it, and become fluent in RPN. It will become second nature. I think it's worth the effort.


----------



## Dexman PE (May 19, 2010)

Honestly, all your calculator really needs is:

+ - / *, sin, cos, tan, ^2, sqrt, and maybe a fraction function. At least that's all I needed for the civil-construction exam...


----------



## chako (May 24, 2010)

thank you everybody for sharing info.


----------



## Dleg (May 25, 2010)

You probably won't get a good answer to this question because there have been huge threads and arguments on this site about calculators for several years.

The Casios are great calculators, though, and this is coming from a guy who used HPs all through school and first several years of work. It doesn't matter at all if you need an extra keystroke.

What does matter is exactly what people above here said. Pick a calculator and use it exclusively while you study, so you know how to use it intimately.

Oh, and I'm not an EE, but I've seen it said by many EEs here that the Casios (perhaps just the 115ES model) handle certain EE calcs very well, like the calcs using that horrible 'i'


----------



## zwaw1 (May 26, 2010)

chako said:


> Which calculator is more better/more usefull ? Casio or HP ?
> 
> Thanking in advance...



I was a huge TI fan all through college, and I thought that would hold true for this exam( I used the HPs also, and was just never comfortable). However, the TIs that are approved for this exam make converting complex numbers from rectangular to polar form, and vice versa, a real pain in the butt. After I did a little research, I decided to try the Casio 115ES (and I have never been a Casio person), but for the Electrical Power exam, this is the calculator you want. It makes manipulating complex numbers extremely easy, and this is very important for the exam. You can even mix forms such as (a+jb) + (c&lt;theta), and have the result be displayed in the form you want.


----------



## cdcengineer (May 26, 2010)

I used the HP 33s because I've been an RPN guy since college. I didn't like the way this calculator handled complex numbers, but because I used it while studying (and the limited need for complex number conversion during the exam), it served it's purpose.

I'm not sure if the HP 35s is any easier with complex numbers. My everyday calc is an HP 42s which would have been more than adequate for the exam if it was allowed.

Good Luck


----------



## reqex78 (Jun 3, 2010)

Dexman PE said:


> Honestly, all your calculator really needs is:
> + - / *, sin, cos, tan, ^2, sqrt, and maybe a fraction function. At least that's all I needed for the civil-construction exam...


If you are taking the EE exam this is definitely not true. It is a must to have a calculator that can handle imaginary numbers and polar coordinates!


----------



## DarenC (Jun 9, 2010)

I passed both the FE (electrical in the afternoon) and the Electrical/Electronics PE on the first try using a casio. However, I say the calculator is not an important factor. You should study with the calculator you will use in the test.


----------



## BigArt (Jun 14, 2010)

chako said:


> Which calculator is more better/more usefull ? Casio or HP ?
> 
> Thanking in advance...


Casio Fx-115ES

That is the best Calculator for this test.


----------

