This calculator does a lot more than add and subtract!
Written: Sep 07 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Does a lot of math for the money.
Cons: Most high school kids buy the Texas Instruments, so CASIO users find themselves among the few.
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| MARIEROY's Full Review: Casio CFX 9850G Graphic Calculator |
Casio CFX 9850G Color Power Graphic Calculator
My husband just recently ordered this calculator off of UBID in an auction and paid approximately $29 plus shipping. In the stores it runs around $60 to $80. Even at this price my husband says these calculators do “a lot of math” for the dollar.”
It appears on the high school level that the Texas Instruments TI83, TI85, TI86 have been the most popular over the past several years. However, the CASIO is also a very adequate graphing calculator and essentially does everything the TEXAS Instruments does, but in a slightly different way. Most of his students in Calculus and Pre-Calculus do own the Texas Instruments calculator but usually one or two students per year own the CASIO Graphing Calculator. As they proceed through the course the students learn how to do various operations on the calculator from matrices to graphing to tables to derivatives and integrals. They always manage to figure out how to get the CASIO to do all these varying activities. Again, the TEXAS is held by many, and so these students have a lot of help from their friends, but CASIO users basically appear to stand alone, and are compelled to read the book and ask the teacher (my husband) periodically for help.
The CASIO has a nice color display, a dynamic graphing display, which he believes the TEXAS Instrument has, as well as a dual mode where you can graph two functions actually side by side, and not on the same graph. It also has a fraction key right on the keyboard, which makes fraction work considerably easier than on the TEXAS Instruments.
Once you are familiar with the CASIO it is as easy to use as the TEXAS Instruments. All of the students who he has had who have owned the CASIO’s have found it to be a very good calculator. Again, the only downside is that you are really alone because most of the kids do use the TEXAS Instruments.
Here are some features, which he likes:
Dynamic Graphing is a wonderful feature in that by changing one variable you can see immediately how the picture is going to change. This will automatically go through a range of values. For example K = 1 to 10. If you want to write a function to graph such as Y=2(X-5)^2+K it will automatically graph each function as K changes values. And so you can learn very easily what one seemingly minor change does to the graph of the function.
It comes with a comprehensive manual that explains how to do all of the basics up through Differential and Integral Calculus.
It has an on screen menu which makes it a little bit easier to get started and also comes with a quick start guide. This quick start guide provides the following:
Switching Power On and Off -- shows you how to turn the calculator on and off.
Auto Power Off function – The unit automatically switches power off if no operation is performed within six minutes.
Using Modes – Can perform a wide range of calculations by simply selecting the appropriate mode. Here is shown how to navigate around the various modes.
Basic Calculations – Manual calculations, you input formulas from left to right as if writing on a piece of paper. With formulas the calculator automatically applies true algebraic logic to calculate the result.
Replay Features –Simply press an arrow key to recall the last calculation.
Fraction Calculations – Can use this key to input fractions into a calculator.
Exponents -- Lets user raise a number to a power.
Graph Functions – Enables user to draw complex graphs using either rectangular coordinates (horizontal axis: x; vertical axis: y) or polar coordinates (angle 0 ; distance from origin: r)
Dual Graph – With this function user can split the display between two areas and display two graphs on the same screen
Box Zoom –Can specify areas of a graph for enlargement.
Dynamic Graph –Lets user see how the shape of a graph is affected as the value assigned to one of the coefficients of its function changes.
Table Function –Makes it possible to generate a table of solutions as different values are assigned to the variables of a function.
And . . . it does a nice job of adding and subtracting.
And if any non-math people ever have the pleasure to attend a function where attendees are comprised of all math persons where they talk in their own particular lingo, most of which you won't have a clue to, then by all means bring this nifty little calculator along. You may be included in their conversation instead of feeling like the proverbial “fifth” wheel.
Recommended:
Yes
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Member: Marie Roy
Location: Connecticut
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