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Best Calculator for a Nerdy Child

7 points by blagie ↗ HN
My child might soon be taking AP Calc and / or the SAT. It seems like the best calculators are:

HP Prime: Fast, friendly, and well-built.

TI Nspire CX II CAS: Python-programmable, and a lot of functionality.

Any thoughts on the best choice? Kid is super-nerdy and glad to learn things. They'll likely use it for a long time.

13 comments

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GianFabien
I once was nerdy kid. It was a treat to be allowed to choose.
blagie
I was the same way. My child isn't. My child trusts me, asks me for advice, and wants me to make a lot of choices for him when he's unsure.

(he's not like that with other adults)

Personalities differ.

nbernard
If money is not a problem, have you considered getting both?

I cannot speak for the calculators currently on the market, but over the years I had both a TI-92+ and a HP-50g: I liked both and for some things I preferred the TI, for others the HP...

blagie
I gave this serious thought.

The core problem is I'm not sure my child will want to use a graphing calculator much. All of these things feel like relics, compared to Python, Desmos, and similar tools. The HP Prime has a 320x240 display, to his 4k monitor. It has 512MB of flash, compared to his 1TB SSD. For casual use, there are cell phones.

It's necessary for AP and SAT exams, but I'm just not sure if it's not otherwise a relic of a bygone era.

I'm inclined to get one and see how it goes.

dfdz
HP Prime on Reverse Polish Notation (RPN) mode [1, Page 47]. RPN is a basic stack based programming language, which is really fun to use [2].

[1]https://h30434.www3.hp.com/psg/attachments/psg/palm-webossof...

[2]https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverse_Polish_notation

Aaron2222
Agree that RPN is great, though it looks like RPN isn't available in CAS mode.
dfdz
I did not realize RPN is not available for CAS, that is disappointing.

Is an HP 50G really the last of its kind? Hard to suggest since it’s priced like a collectors item now…

blagie
Yes, we are relics of a bygone era. I really enjoyed my HP48 as a child.

I don't think anything since had the same ability to rapidly script operations.

<< 1/ SWAP 1/ + 1/ >> 'PAR STO

.... and 11 keystokes later, I had an operation for computing parallel resistors with one keystoke.

The HP48 series was the peak of good design. Unfortunately, in 2022, it feels obsolete. Each new calculator took away as much as it gave. Added were faster processors and more functionality, but the level of design, polish, and attention to detail just wasn't there any more.

In 1990, when these came out, engineers used calculators a lot. In 2022, most engineering work is done with a computer, so perhaps there wasn't market share to sustain HP. Even for my computer, I still wouldn't mind a modern "numeric keypad" that had the whole HP48's worth of operations: one-touch access to most math operations would be nice. Ideally, it'd have Bluetooth and be Python-friendly too.

My ultimate device:

- HP48-style microswitch keyboard

- RPN entry

- Modern CAS and plotting

- Able to use both Python (or Julia or similar) and RPN locally, with integration between the two

- Touchscreen for plots. High-resolution high-fidelity display.

- Bluetooth + USB + 802.11 (and, perhaps, a few GPIO pins). Can take an external keyboard, monitor, mouse, stream in data, stream out data, or talk to a computer. It should be able to output results or keystroke as a USB HID.

- SD slot

- Programmable, hackable, and relatively open

Aaron2222
I used the TI-Nspire calculators when I was at high school (though not in the US), and found them very capable. Never used an HP Prime, so can't comment there. There's also the Casio FX-CG500 (https://www.casio.com/us/scientific-calculators/product.FX-C...), though you can't use the stylus in your exams for some stupid reason, so I suppose your finger has to suffice? All three have emulators available with at least a free trial, so I'd recommend installing those and trying them out together.
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