Reddit reviews HP 35s Scientific Calculator
We found 6 Reddit comments about HP 35s Scientific Calculator. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Engineering, Surveying, Science, Medicine, Display type: LCDAdjustable contrast with 2 lines x 14 characters + indicators, 14 character dot matrix (5 x 7)SAT Reasoning Test; SAT Subject Tests in Mathematics Level 1 and Level 2; ACT; PSAT/NMSQT; AP Chemistry/Physics; PLAN; EXPLOREBuilt-in functions: Over 100, Memory registers: 800, Memory: 30 KB, Power: 2 x CR2032 batteries; battery life: 0.73 year @ 1 hr/day (approximately 9 months)Dimensions (W X D X H): 3.23 x 0.72 x 6.22 Inch. Warranty: 1 year warranty (may vary by region)
Vernier Calipers - $8.89
HP-35s Scientific Calculator. The best* calculator allowed in the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam and will get him weened off graphing early. - $43.50
This is my opinion. They are several great calcs allowed as was pointed out below.
I know some people recommend metal pencils. I however don't. You will lose pencils, it happens. However you do need a high quality mechanical pencil with a big eraser that if you do lose, it won't be a huge loss. I highly recommend the Pentel Twist Erase with 0.5mm lead - $8.63
If you're allowed a little programming, the HP-35s is excellent.
It isn't a graphing calculator, but it does have some programmability, so it may not be alright for your classes.
If you're looking for a bare-bones scientific calculator, you could do worse than the TI-36XS Pro.
If you really need to write the fractions, my personal pick would be the TI 36x pro, but maybe a HP 300s or a Sharp EL-W535TGBBL might fufill your needs while being cheaper. But honestly if you want to go all out for a great calculator that will make you fall in love with RPN, get a HP 35s
An HP 33s was enough to get me through a mathematics undergrad and grad program. Once upon a time I was an electrical engineering major and I purchased it because it was allowed on the FE exam. It had a ton of useful features.
I did use it in a few stats courses. Most of the more advanced courses will require R or some stats/math software such as SPSS, Matlab, etc. so you will probably want a laptop for that. Usually you will have access to a computer lab though.
The HP 35s is the successor to the HP 33s.
http://www.amazon.com/HP-F2215AA-ABA-Scientific-Calculator/dp/B000TDRHG8
The nice thing about these calculators is that they have features which make them great for most any science, math, stats or engineering course IMO. They also have a 2-line display which is convenient.
It depends on the professor. Some professors don't allow you to use a calculator. Some allow you to use one as long as it's not a graphing calculator. Some allow you to use any.
Do yourself a big favor, though, and learn to use a RPN calculator. Once you learn it, you'll never want to use another calculator again. You'll be solving problems in a fraction of the time it takes everyone else. http://www.amazon.com/HP-F2215AA-ABA-Scientific-Calculator/dp/B000TDRHG8/
I highly recommend the HP 35s. This calculator is HP's non-graphing RPN calculator, and is approved for the FE exam.
RPN takes a little getting used to, but once you use it for a few days, you will find it to be both faster and more accurate than non rpn calculators. It does everything the TI 36 does, it just does it faster.