Do you like RPN Calculators?

[blahblah]

Please specify a reason as to why you like or do not like them.

Thanks.

[bradp]

they enter necessary are

[stupidityismygam]

only one person from our school uses RPN and we still finish the crunches in 10 minutes at worst, so i dont think they are necessary

i have always used the TIs, so learning the RPN's is too hard and it isnt worth the 30 seconds it would shave off my time

[mathslug]

RPN all the way. I like RPN because it eliminates some of the complexity you see in the harder cruncher problems. Ti's are just annoying on the cruncher section. They're just so freaking noisey. I hate competing against people that are fast on Ti's because of the incessent clicking. It makes me just want to take their Ti and give them a good whack upside the head.

Zack

[stupidityismygam]

lol, well that means i have the edge on people, i can annoy them :)

[polymath25]

If you know how to use a TI with great accuracy and efficiency, then there's really not much reason to switch to RPN, especially when you could use the time you would have spent learning RPN studying geometry and stated problems.

[Kurt]

RPN, definitely. I use my HP for the vast majority of the calculator and math questions.

It's more logical to me, and, due to no parentheses, is a few less buttons to press per problem.

I don't think it takes very long to learn RPN effectively. I started doing calculator in 10th grade and had it down pretty well after a couple of tests.

[stupidityismygam]

taking in to account my laziness, it is too much work

anything i can do to avoid work is the best possible situation :)

[Quelloquialism]

Either works. I'm terrible on punches/crunchers either way. I use RPN (hp33s) because it's what I've always used. I don't think any time advantages it may give are terribly significant. It's completely a matter of personal preference.

(Note: I tend to average around 13 minutes on the punches/crunchers, and therefore I am too slow to have a voice in Calculator discussions. =D)

[The3point14]

I guess TIs would be more accurate, being able to see exactly what you punched in. I average ~10 minutes for the crunchers, but never miss less than 5, and I use HP32II .If I were to use a TI, I bet I could get near 100% crunchers but not have sufficient time to do the simple S&G, but then again, if I wen't slow enough any calculator would do.

IMO RPN > TI

[stupidityismygam]

once you get good enough, the calculator you have doesnt matter, to start it is probably more benefinicial to have a HP

But once you can get your crunches under 10 minutes, it doesnt matter what calculator you use as long as you are accurate

[indianpapu]

I prefer RPN's over TI's because no () in RPN

[indianpapu]

I prefer RPN's over TI's because no () in RPN

[DPyro]

It's really a toss-up for me. RPN is usually faster, but TI's complain like a spanked baby if you do sometihng wrong-good for accuracy. I've used TI through 7th grade, and I have an HP-33s for Calc Apps. RPN is honestly not that much faster, but can be more comfortable for number crunchers.

I use both calculators on the test, with my old TI-83+ as a backup 8)

[mathslug]

Does anyone still use the HP 32ii? I have one and I was wondering if anyone else still uses those.

Zack

[Quelloquialism]

It's interesting that a good number of people are pointing to HP for speed and TI for accuracy--I tend to have good accuracy (currently on a three-test streak of no missed punches) and terrible speed (usually 12 to 14 minutes for 35 punches) regardless of my calculator (though my speed does drop on a TI--but I think that's more lack of familiarity than inability of the calculator).

[The3point14]

I have used the hp32ii since 6th grade, our school bought the newer 33iii's this year, but I have yet to make a switch. Although, now that I think about it, switching may not be such a bad idea, because I am not very fast ~10-11 minutes, and nowhere near accurate ( never miss less than 5 crunchers ). Why does everyone like the new one better? And does anyone have any general suggestions or tips to become more accurate besides drilling them constantly?

[Quelloquialism]

[StephenWong]

I dont know what i'd do without my 32sii, it's the only way i know how to do the number problems

[ZachB]

Everyone on our team used 32SIIs until this year when we had a foreign exchange student start doing his crunchers with a Casio. Oddly enough, he can finish the crunchers faster than the rest of the team, excluding myself. I think it depends on the individual situation of the student whether or not an RPN is better. I can think things through and operate better on an RPN, so thats what I use. However, some people are probably much better off using a TI or another calculator with algebraic notation. As a side note, I tried to switch to a 33S two years ago and found it unbearable. The keys are so "clicky" and closely spaced, while the enter key is tiny. I have since stuck to my 32SII, and I perform very successfully with it.

P.S. Our sponsor is really old and has lots of HP32SII's just laying around. For those of you not in such a convenient situation, the old HP's cost around $200 dollars on the internet. So taking cost into consideration, you can either go with a 33S, which I find unwieldy, or an algebraic notation calulator like a TI.

[aalindsey100]

I use HP32ii and a TI 84 on the calculator test... it is the only thing Im really good at lol... I use a TI on the science test so that Im always prepared it I need to answer any rate law k-constant problems on the chemistry section... lol... Im not a physics person so I dont ever do well in physics unless it is nuclear physics and then it is on that fuzzy line between chemistry and physics lol... I do love my hp32ii but my brother and all the freshmen and sophmoores on the team use hp33's... I tried to change once... but how does the saying go... you cant teach an old dog new tricks... lol... it was awful... I LOVE the 32's... I use them for class, for math team, for balancing my check book, for every little calculation that is too complex for my little brain to solve alone... I use it at least once a day... it goes with me everywhere... it is the perfect calculator...

[blahblah]

I always forget that the RPN Calculator only remembers the last 4 numbers entered, and end up getting a lot of the questions wrong.

[Kurt]

[hustonstreet]

[Kurt]

He might have been talking about some of the S&G problems?