Re: What's your de-facto calculator? Message #60 Posted by Nicholas Winterer on 5 Apr 2012, 7:46 p.m., in response to message #1 by Matt Agajanian
As a college student, I use one of several calculators depending on the circumstances, mostly voyagers.
For most of my EE classes I use an original 15C instead of my LE, as I prefer the feel of the high-density buttons and the softer response of the round snap domes. The complex number support is very useful here, though I wish it were a little more extensive. Complex value integrals would be awesome (straight line integrals from any two points on the complex plane) as would complex gamma. Nested integration and solving would be awesome too, although I don't know if it would be technically feasible (maybe someone with more of a numerical computing background can chime in). Also would be nice to do away with some of the weird quirks like memory shared between registers and program steps. How about community-developed 15C LE firmware in the vein of the WP 34S? Then we could fix the current draw and PSE bug, too.
I actually met a guy in my signals and systems class with a 15C LE, which was really nice too see. He had opened it up and stuck something behind the shift keys (think he said little eraser heads, but I'm not sure) to stop them from wobbling. Whatever he did, it felt good to me. Made the shift keys feel exactly like the rest of the buttons. On the original 15C, all of the keys are loose (not attached to a single matrix) like the shift keys on the LE. Seems to me that it is just the pressure from the snap domes that keeps them from wobbling, and I'm not sure why a similar approach could not have been used on the 15C LE. I may end up trying his technique myself, though the wobbly shift keys are just a minor annoyance.
For statics and dynamics, the 15C LE was my calculator of choice. Seems like I would always wind up with some weird trig equation and the the original 15C is way too slow to solve equations with one or more trig functions. The numerical integration and matrix capabilities (for solving linear systems) were both extremely useful for that class as well.
For logic design, the 16C was the obvious choice. The professor actually recognized it and played with it a little when he saw it on my desk. On the exams, I would make a first pass where I would do only the questions that I could plug straight into the 16C (base conversions, two's complement, bitwise operations). This would usually knock out about half of the questions (this professor was not the most creative exam writer) and save me tons of time. I also had a little program to iterate through the terms of a boolean expression and create a truth table. This could be used in a pinch to solve multiple choice problems on boolean algebra and logic minimization by just checking all the possible solutions for a truth table match (yep, I'm a cheater). My disorganized ass actually got the time wrong for the final exam and I showed up an hour late, freaking out (it was like a bad dream, only real). Still finished before the rest of the class thanks to my 16C and walked out feeling like Matt Damon from Good Will Hunting.
For my engineering economy class as well I my personal finance calculations, the 12C+ is my calculator of choice. Had an original 12C too but it has now become a donor for other voyagers with mushy snap domes.
For math classes, where I need symbolic answers, I always go with the 50G. I'm actually on my third 50G right now. The first one has a couple buttons that have lost their spring (they still work, but have almost no travel or tactile feedback) and the second one was stolen with my backpack.
For quick calculations at home, I have a 41CV sitting on my desk. I'm sure I would use it all the time for school if I had an advantage pac for it. Sometimes professors will ban the use of graphing calculators on exams, but almost everyone is unaware of this little machine's capabilities. Eventually I'll bite the bullet on the 41CL at which point I'm sure my 41 will make it into my school rotation.
Have a couple woodstocks, but rarely use them for serious calculations because of the shifted inverse key.
I have a 15C on my work desk too, though I rarely use it for my web programming job. Its primary job is summing up my hours.
So there's my overly detailed account of my daily calculator use. Hopefully someone finds it interesting. I've enjoyed reading everyone's responses so far.
|