Texas Instruments TI 36 X-PRO

I normally use an HP calculator with RPN but I kept baffling my children with it when helping them with their maths homework so I wanted a powerful calculator that they could use too. I am really pleased with the TI 36x Pro. It is very simple to learn to use and has a lot of excellent features. It does numeric integration, matrix algebra (limited to 3x3 though), complex numbers and can solve cubic and quadratic equations plus all the other stuff that you'd expect from a scientific calculator. It's not programmable but there's a useful tabular function that lets you create a mini spreadsheet on the fly that I use a lot. I've found that using this covers 90% of the situations where I'd use the programming capabilites of another calculatorIf you don't need a graphing calculator you'd be hard pressed to find a better scientific calculator than this. If it wasn't for my personal preference for RPN, I'd use it all the time.

Need the read the manual as this calculator has so many functions, recommended for any science nerd like me!

I got this calculator because I needed a scientific calculator for my exams (I only had a programmable/graphing calculator which are are not permitted in examinations). There are a lot of very useful functions, I find it can do matrices/vectors, complex numbers solve polynomials, systems of equations, integration, derivatives. I also really like that it has a lot of useful constants built into it which saves a lot of time when doing calculations. It can also convert units, english-metric, temperature, speed, length, pressure, power, energy. I wanted the most advanced scientific calculator out there, I think that I have found one that can do almost as much as a programmable/graphing calculator which is smaller and permitted on examinations. Very happy with Ti, been using their calculators for many years.

French instructions. Fortunately English manual is online. Like most TI calculators complex calculations take a very long time compared to equivalent Casio. Try integral of tan(x) from 0 to 1.57079. 23 seconds! My 28 year old TI 83 takes 20 seconds , so the processor in the TI 36X pro is a quarter of a century behind the times. The case back is clip on instead of slide on and takes a while to find the best way to attach it – very clunky indeed. 5* because fewer stars do not get read. TI make improvements to the exterior of their calculators but inside is running on valves. I also have the equivalent Casio fx 991 CW. The integral took 6s. The Numworks graphical calculator took less than 1s.

I was slightly put off this calculator when it arrived because it felt like it wasn't brand new. There was a 'low battery' message on the screen when I switched it on, and what looked like the remains of a previous calculation in the memory. This sours the experience.But leaving that aside, this is a pretty good calculator, even though it's been around for years virtually unchanged. I've always used Casio in the past, but I can see how this has some advantages. It feels simpler to use than the Casio fx-991EX for instance. Not much, but things like the multi-press buttons are a clever way to avoid menus and always having to use the 2nd function key. You'll have to study the specs in detail to find out where the two models really differ, but I don't think the Casio can solve equations as directly as this. But then the Casio has the super clever QR-code generator that puts your results in a web page you can access with your phone and copy/paste into documents. Swings and roundabouts. Both have more features than most humans will ever comprehend.I also think the Casio looks more stylish (this TI is borderline ugly to my eyes) and Casio's slide-on case feels faster and sturdier than the annoying and rattly clip-on case the TI comes with. On the other hand, on the TI, both the case and the calculator have non-slip rubber feet which makes it better to use on a desk. The Casio has a faster keyboard that I find hard to fault, but some may prefer the slightly more positive action of this TI.Their displays are about the same, which is to say not all that good because of the solar power. The Casio's might have more dots. Both have battery backup, but the Casio's battery is easy to get at in its own little compartment whereas you have to screw off the whole back cover to get at the one in the Texas.The point is that both this TI-36X Pro and the equivalent Casio are very highly developed and capable calculators that are as advanced as you'll probably be allowed to take into an exam and only one step below a graphing model. If you're using it in class, you might want to see what everyone else is using so you're not the odd-one-out when the tutor explains something that needs a calculator. Schools might even recommend one over the other.But a big part of the decision might be the price. The TI-36X Pro was much cheaper than the Casio when I bought it. If they were the same price, I would buy the Casio. But I'd be happy with either.

Such a good calculator purchased for my finals in physics and the numerical solve function was very useful. The list of constants is very good and very time efficient. For physics calculations (once you know your way around it) is much more efficient than Casio equivalents. Highly recommend!