#21 2025-02-11 01:41:39

DeepDayze

Like sands through an hourglass...

From: In Linux Land

Registered: 2017-05-28

Posts: 1,897

Re: Free42 and Plus42; HP-42S Calculator Simulators

Thanks, and Martin too. I'm looking, not overly intently, for one on EBay (or for one of its relatives, the TI-58 and Ti-59) but ones that are working properly (and quite a few that are listed aren't) are silly money right now.

For the TI-58/59 usually the issue is with the magnetic card reader as it can fail over time and parts for it are pretty much unobtainable nowadays.

Thanks for replying.

I think it's the TI-59 that's got the magnetic card reader. The TI-58 is basically a more accurate TI-57 with some additional features.

Oh that's right...I sure miss my TI-57, and tempted to look for that or the TI-58

---

Real Men Use Linux

Colonel Panic

Member

Registered: 2018-11-13

Posts: 1,403

Re: Free42 and Plus42; HP-42S Calculator Simulators

For the TI-58/59 usually the issue is with the magnetic card reader as it can fail over time and parts for it are pretty much unobtainable nowadays.

Thanks for replying.

I think it's the TI-59 that's got the magnetic card reader. The TI-58 is basically a more accurate TI-57 with some additional features.

Oh that's right...I sure miss my TI-57, and tempted to look for that or the TI-58

Thanks for replying. Yes, there are some around on Ebay but fully working ones are quite expensive.

The TI-58 worked to a higher numerical precision than the TI-57, quite apart from its extra features, but it cost more than double the price of the TI-57 in the UK at the time I was looking for a calculator for university (1978), which was why I chose the 57 instead.

In retrospect the 57 turned out to be adequate for what I needed for my courses; lecturers back then weren't too keen on your getting the calculator to do most of the work anyway.

Colonel Panic

Member

Registered: 2018-11-13

Posts: 1,403

Re: Free42 and Plus42; HP-42S Calculator Simulators

If you want to try out the TI84's features without having to buy one, you can go here;

https://ti84calc.com/

Colonel Panic

Member

Registered: 2018-11-13

Posts: 1,403

Re: Free42 and Plus42; HP-42S Calculator Simulators

I fear for maths teachers now. I've just seen an online calculator, presumably AI-powered, that not only solves maths problems for you but displays all the working as well.

For those with a mathematical background, check it out;

https://www.emathhelp.net/

How are teachers now supposed to know whether the answers to the problems they set for homework are the students' own work, or the result of feeding the problem into EMathHelp or a similar program?

On the other hand, if you actually want to learn how to solve the problems it's great; you have a go at solving a problem yourself and THEN feed it into EMathHelp and see what the solution and the answer should have been.

Last edited by Colonel Panic (2025-03-22 16:01:43)

Colonel Panic

Member

Registered: 2018-11-13

Posts: 1,403

Re: Free42 and Plus42; HP-42S Calculator Simulators

There's also an online calculator which is specifically for solving integrals. Again it shows all the steps, if you click on a button to reveal them;

https://www.integral-calculator.com/

I'm just thinking about what I would have done if I had had access to something like this when I was at school. Part of me would have loved it, sure, but would it have made me lazy when I should have been working all the integrals out the hard way?

Last edited by Colonel Panic (2025-03-24 20:09:59)

Colonel Panic

Member

Registered: 2018-11-13

Posts: 1,403

Re: Free42 and Plus42; HP-42S Calculator Simulators

Took a chance on a cheap Sharp graphical calculator from EBay this week (an EL-9900). First impressions are that I like the look of it and it feels quite solid; the only thing it lacks that I might use are metric unit conversions and (as far as I can see) correlations in the statistical section, though I'm sure there's a way to program that in.

Unusually it has a reversible keyboard for people who want either a basic or an advanced set of functions, which I don't think any other company has thought to imitate.

Last edited by Colonel Panic (2025-05-31 07:26:44)