Best scientific (not programmable, not producing plots) calculator in your opinion.

[Gene]

(04-10-2017 06:14 PM)pier4r Wrote:  You guys start to confuse me.

I always thought that financial calculators had a bit more financial functions already built in (instead of letting the user remember or derive the formula) but those were nothing less than scientific calculator with a certain flavor. Was I mistaken?

Gene: Originally, most financial models had little to no scientific functions unless they had a direct connection to a financial need. "Scientific" functions available were usually limited to things such as:

y^x, 1/x, square root and x^2
LNx and e^x
MAYBE x!

But they were almost always missing the basic scientific functions such as trig, etc.

Texas Instruments incorporated scientific functions on its BAII calculators in 1991:

http://datamath.org/Sci/Modern/BA-II-PLUS_1.htm

This model had scientific functions for trigs and hyperbolics in addition to useful statistical functions such as permutations and combinations - all right on the keyboard. Yes, TI buried a lot of other functions deep in worksheets (boo hiss), but this model was kicking HP business calculators hard IMO for years because the HP business models didn't have these basic functions.

For example, I was a full time college professor in the college of business at a local university teaching Business Math (TVM), business statistics, management accounting, finance and quantitative methods. (Yes, the students really loved me - not!).

Students most often bought ONE calculator for college that they could use in their major AND in their required science and math classes (chemistry, biology or physics and several math classes).

If they bought the TI BAII Plus, they paid $30 and had a machine to use all through their college time. If they bought the HP 10B, 12c or 17B, they were stuck when it came time for physics. Ugh.

FINALLY, HP seemed to realize this hole in their line up and not only met the function specification of the TI BAII Plus with the release of the HP 10bII+, but they exceeded it by quite a bit.

In a review at the time, I suggested TI change the name of their model to the TI BAII Minus.