How and why do you use your HP calc?

[Zac Bruce]

I bought a HP Prime for university, not because I really needed a graphing calculator but it seemed like it was the "best" available. I also liked the idea of playing around with programming it, however I haven't even tried yet. It was useful for checking my work during my statistics class. Probably later on when I do econometrics classes I'll again find some use for it when I'm away from my computer studying. It's nice to be able to sit at a bigger desk and have it sitting right next to my workbook rather than having a screen and keyboard etc. all in the way, and having to look up and down all the time.

I had a bit of a play around with RPN on the Prime and found that I quite liked it. I did a bit of reading online and there seemed to be a passionate group of people supporting it's use. So when looking for a calculator that I would be able to use in exams I picked up a cheap secondhand 12C Platinum, one with a silver faceplate. I'm an accounting/finance student and it's the only RPN calculator that is allowed to be used in exams and so it fits well. I very quickly fell in love with the horizontal layout, the RPN, the feel of the keys...

Now I can't really imagine using anything else. I think in RPN, and find that it is much, much quicker to do what I need to do. The roll down, x<>y buttons, 1/x and the three percentage functions save me so much time. Especially being able to calculate a %age, record that, then+ or - it from the original number. Being able to do arithmetic on a few storage registers is also very welcome. I've bought and played around with other financial calculators; 19BII, 17BII and 10BII, and a Sharp EL series (don't have it in front of me now), and at some stage I'll buy at TI BA too, to compare.

I'm also enrolled in a self-paced pre-calculus course through the university, preparing me for further study. The obvious choice for me was to buy a 35s, so I use that occasionally when I need something the 12C doesn't have. I wish I could find a decent priced, good condition 15C!

But the 12C sits all the time on my desk. Now I use a regular 12C instead of platinum; I like the shorter digits in the display, and like that the screen flashes when I input something. At the moment it's not a 12C+, and IRR can seem to take forever, but otherwise it's not too slow. It's a good excuse to buy another one.