The TI-nspire CX II CAS
If you asked an accountant which calculator was their favorite, you would get a very different answer than an engineer. Would it surprise you to learn that recently educated physicists, chemists, biologists, and even mathematicians might all give the same answer?
This reflects a shift in attitudes toward using calculators in school. For many post-secondary courses, a calculator is required, and for many of those, a TI-nspire CX II is suggested. This is because math is changing, not before your eyes, but subtly in the background; schools have realized that math is a tool for academic research more than a separate topic of research.
Being a mathematician is not as joyful as it used to be. Now even the simplest calculators can do in seconds, without errors, what mathematicians might take days to complete. This is not bad news; it’s good news. Now learning math is much easier because all you have to learn are the principles without having to memorize tables, formulas, and special cases.
Why I Chose The TI-nspire CX II CAS
The features that most stand out about the TI-nspire CX II CAS var4e:
- Algebraic notation: concise and readable
- Python programming: UI libraries
- USB Port: for Computer Connectivity
- Large display: 320 x 240 pixels (3.2” diagonal)
- Color: 125DPI, 16-bit color
The key feature for me is that the calculator is programmable; in simple terms, you can train it to execute complex sequences of operations with a single keypress.
The fact that you can program it in Python is the icing on the cake. With Python, you can prompt for input, format output, interface with real devices, and present results on a colour display.
Further articles on installation, setup, and operation will be posted as available.