Basically, you should use a scientific calculator when you go beyond basic math. At the high school or college level, it is often a necessity! Designed to solve math, science and engineering problems, this type of calculator solves trigonometry, logarithm and probability problems in addition to arithmetic operations. In this guide, we'll help you find THE scientific calculator that's right for you.
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Our selection
"The TI-84 Plus is the best-seller from Texas Instruments. Many high school students, college students and scientists use this calculator on a daily basis. Considering…"
"If you are on a budget, the Casio ClassWiz FX-991DEX is the scientific calculator for you. Although it is the German version, this should not…"
"The TI-Nspire CX is the flagship of Texas Instruments. This model has a backlit color screen, a lithium-ion battery, a modern menu system. For us,…"
"The Texas Instruments TI-30XS is a scientific calculator designed with unique features to allow you to enter multiple calculations, compare results, and explore models, all…"
The TI-84 Plus is the best-seller from Texas Instruments. Many high school students, college students and scientists use this calculator on a daily basis. Considering all the potential it contains, it is easy to understand why!
See priceTexas Instruments TI-84 Plus is a graphical scientific calculator. It is already preloaded with a dozen applications such as graphing inequalities, correct mathematical notation and data collection. It has a radian/degree mode and can handle non-real and real numbers. The color backlit display reinforces the TI-84 Plus CE's slim, lightweight appearance. With the high-resolution display, there is a clear improvement in plotting. This scientific calculator is versatile and easy to use. It should be suitable for beginners. To operate it, you will need 4 AAA batteries.
If you are on a budget, the Casio ClassWiz FX-991DEX is the scientific calculator for you. Although it is the German version, this should not put you off considering its price and efficiency.
See priceThe Casio ClassWiz FX-991DEX is much more than a traditional scientific calculator, thanks to the 12 pre-installed applications. The new high-resolution display and your entries and answers will be presented in a simple and clear format. One of the special features of the Casio FX-991DE is its ability to give answers in exact form, not just decimal approximations! Many graphing calculators cannot boast such a feat. Despite its cheap look, this Casio ClassWiz FX-991DEX has one of the best screens on the market. It has about 4 times more pixels than any other scientific calculator made by Texas Instruments.
The TI-Nspire CX is the flagship of Texas Instruments. This model has a backlit color screen, a lithium-ion battery, a modern menu system. For us, it is the best graphing scientific calculator on the market.
See priceTo date, the TI-Nspire CX is the most advanced scientific calculator from Texas Instruments. When you get an answer from this calculator, it is displayed in exact and simplified form, unless, of course, you want a decimal. In addition to being an amazing graphing calculator, it has many features not found on most high-end scientific calculators. These include applications for drawing shapes, creating spreadsheets, analyzing and collecting data, and more. The other special feature of the Texas Instruments TI-Nspire CX is that it has a cursor and a trackpad under the directional keys, just like a computer!
The Texas Instruments TI-30XS is a scientific calculator designed with unique features to allow you to enter multiple calculations, compare results, and explore models, all on the same screen.
See priceThe Texas Instruments TI-30XS has a display that can show up to four lines of inputs and responses. Its greatest strength is that everything can be entered almost exactly as it is presented in a textbook. This scientific calculator also has the distinct advantage of displaying exact results for trigonometric functions. This makes it one of the only calculators made by Texas Instruments with this capability. Finally, it is important to note that the formatting of exponents and square roots is easier than on most scientific calculators.
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OUR SELECTION |
Texas Instruments TI-84 Plus
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Casio ClassWiz FX-991DEX
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Texas Instruments TI-Nspire CX
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Texas Instruments TI-30XS
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The TI-84 Plus is the best-seller from Texas Instruments. Many high school students, college students and scientists use this calculator on a daily basis. Considering all the potential it contains, it is easy to understand why!
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If you are on a budget, the Casio ClassWiz FX-991DEX is the scientific calculator for you. Although it is the German version, this should not put you off considering its price and efficiency.
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The TI-Nspire CX is the flagship of Texas Instruments. This model has a backlit color screen, a lithium-ion battery, a modern menu system. For us, it is the best graphing scientific calculator on the market.
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The Texas Instruments TI-30XS is a scientific calculator designed with unique features to allow you to enter multiple calculations, compare results, and explore models, all on the same screen.
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Excellent value for money
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12 pre-installed applications
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320 x 240p backlit color display
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Four-line screen
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Powerful yet easy to use
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Accurate answers in the simplest form
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Simplified accurate responses
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Represents exponents naturally
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High-resolution color display
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High-resolution color screen
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Data storage
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Simplifies square roots
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When choosing a scientific calculator, there are a number of criteria to consider. As always, you should be careful before making a purchase.
The main reason we buy a calculator is to make faster calculations. You should choose a model whose programming allows you to calculate all the problems in your discipline. Most calculators can help you calculate normal mathematical problems, logarithms, fractions, statistics, probabilities, etc. If the scientific calculator you choose can handle the math problems in your discipline, then it's a good calculator.
If you're on construction sites, you may not need a calculator with lots of technical buttons. You may need a simple scientific calculator that will handle basic math problems. If you work in the discipline that uses advanced math, you really need to look at the advanced discipline. There is a specific scientific calculator that is programmed and designed for all math problems.
Users who work in the field need simple scientific calculators that they can carry easily. Therefore, it is important to choose a scientific calculator that can fit in a bag or pocket. Compact scientific calculators are easier to hold and use because it has small, soft buttons. However, if you work in the complex engineering project office, a more advanced scientific calculator will be recommended.
Durability is very important when choosing a scientific calculator. You should look for a calculator that comes with a dust cover, a water-resistant display, and buttons that remain easily identifiable after several uses. You should also choose a calculator with a clear display. You'll need to look at the manufacturer's listed features to see if you can use the calculator in the sun. Some screens display blurred figures when used outdoors.
If this is the first time you are going to use a scientific calculator, there will obviously be some getting used to. So make sure the model is relatively easy to use or at least that the manufacturer offers an easy-to-understand tutorial. If you are already using a scientific calculator, but decide to change manufacturers, there will certainly be a new learning curve as well.
The most obvious way to learn how to use a scientific calculator is to read the manual. If you have a calculator that doesn't come with a manual, you can usually search for the manual online and download it. If not, you need to do a little experimentation.
The main differences in how calculators work are in the order of operations. For example, we want to calculate 3 + 5 x 4. According to the order of operations we learned in school, the 5 and the 4 must be multiplied by each other before adding the 3. Your calculator may or may not know this.
If you mark 3 + 5 x 4, some calculators will give you the answer 32 and others will give you 23 (which is the correct answer). This is the type of calculation you need to try on your new calculator to understand how it works.
It's the same with the square root. For the square root 4, you know the answer is 2. With your new scientific calculator, you need to figure out if you should type 4 and then press the √ key or if you press the √ key and then type 4.
The scientific calculator can perform various complex calculations, including trigonometry. A scientific calculator can also handle logarithms and exponentiation calculations. That's all a high school student could need. Most scientific calculators have a single-line display, like on basic calculators. But sometimes the display is 2 lines.
Each line can accommodate 10 to 12 digits, with additional digits for floating point arithmetic. Typically, high-end scientific calculators offer boolean calculations, hexadecimal calculations, fractions and probability calculations, complex numbers, physical constants, unit conversion, calculus and matrix calculations.
A graphing calculator offers more advanced and complex features. In some industries, this is a real advantage over simple scientific calculators. When solving complicated functions, you will need a graphing calculator. This capability is invaluable in various types of math problems.
Graphing calculators are most often used in physics, engineering, statistics and some areas of applied biology. A graphing calculator is also a calculator that has a large screen for visual representation of the problem. Overall, graphing calculators are more sophisticated and offer more calculation features.
Scientific calculators are a tool to help with basic algebra and statistics. On the other hand, a graphing calculator is a scientific calculator with a high resolution screen and includes the ability to plot coordinates and graph functions. Your choice will therefore depend primarily on the field of application.
Invest in the best.
A graphing calculator is a long-term investment. While new models come on the market from time to time, the basic functions of calculators remain the same. If you buy a full-featured scientific calculator, it can last for many years.
Having Wi-Fi on a scientific calculator is always a plus.
Some high-end scientific calculators have Wi-Fi connectivity so that data from other scientific devices such as weather gauges, decibels, photometers, electronic thermometers, etc., can be read and evaluated.
Use the memory function to solve logarithms.
A high-end scientific calculator is perfect for calculating logarithms, especially those with built-in memory that gives you the ability to store some equations. If you're working on something that requires multiple sessions, you can have your calculator store what you've already entered into the device. This makes it easier to test and correct.
Be sure to check that the scientific calculator you are using is approved for use in the exams.
If you are in high school or college, you need to know if the scientific calculator you have is approved and allowed on exams. Always ask your teacher. Many exams have very strict requirements about which calculators are allowed and which are not.
Don't abuse your calculator!
Technology encourages laziness. It's well known that calculator users tend to abuse them, even for basic mental math operations. Don't adopt this kind of reflex! The more you exercise your brain, the better it will be sharpened. So, use the scientific calculator only for complex operations.
The best scientific calculator depends on your needs and budget. Read our buying guide for the best products available.
For most scientific calculators you will need to use an ab/c key. Let's say you wanted to calculate 1/3 + 1/4; then here's how to do it: 1, ab/c, 3, +, 1, ab/c, 4, = (commas are for separation only and are not inputs).
This will give you the inverse of a number. For example, 4, x -1 will give you 0.25. On most scientific calculators, you can convert this to a fraction, 1/4, by pressing ab/c.
On a scientific calculator, parentheses are used to determine the priority in the order of certain operations. For example, if we write 16 - 8 ÷ 4, we will get 16 - 2 = 14. If what we really wanted was to do the subtraction first, then we can do it by writing this: (16 - 8) ÷ 4.
Yes, there are scientific calculators with algebraic memory functions.
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