Ti 83 Plus for AP Calculus AB?

[Shreyas1]

Does anyone know if a TI 83 Plus will work for AP Calculus AB? Has anyone used one on the test? I saw the college board says that the 83 plus has all the necessary functions but does anyone know whether I should actually use it? Thanks!

[dalekphalm]

18 hours ago, Shreyas1 said:

Does anyone know if a TI 83 Plus will work for AP Calculus AB? Has anyone used one on the test? I saw the college board says that the 83 plus has all the necessary functions but does anyone know whether I should actually use it? Thanks!

Your school (or specifically the class) will likely have a recommended calculator to use. You should just use that one.

 

Why? Because if you're having issues doing something, the prof is going to be far more familiar with the recommended calculator than other models.

 

Which calculator do they recommend? If the TI 83 Plus is on the list, then use it. Or use a different one that's on the list.

[bimmerman]

I used an 83+ all through high school and on the AB+BC AP tests.....back in early 2000s. I don't know if the rules have changed since then. I will say it was more useful for the Calc BC test than for AB from what I vaguely remember.

[SenKa]

In my personal experience, professors will say Ti-83, Ti-83 Plus, Ti-84, Ti-84 Plus. Some professors may specifically mention the updated colour versions as well, but let me tell you:

 

Professors do not EXPECT you to use a Ti-83, most times. The 83 is an out of date calculator, and their lessons will likely revolve around updated versions of the 84's firmware. So, if you're wise I would buy an 84 plus and update it (free and easy to do, though it is a little finnicky. I had to try ~4 times on my 84 Plus which was quite old).

[hello_there_123]

Why wouldn't it work on the test?

[Shreyas1]

9 hours ago, dalekphalm said:

Your school (or specifically the class) will likely have a recommended calculator to use. You should just use that one.

 

Why? Because if you're having issues doing something, the prof is going to be far more familiar with the recommended calculator than other models.

 

Which calculator do they recommend? If the TI 83 Plus is on the list, then use it. Or use a different one that's on the list.

 

3 hours ago, SenKa said:

In my personal experience, professors will say Ti-83, Ti-83 Plus, Ti-84, Ti-84 Plus. Some professors may specifically mention the updated colour versions as well, but let me tell you:

 

Professors do not EXPECT you to use a Ti-83, most times. The 83 is an out of date calculator, and their lessons will likely revolve around updated versions of the 84's firmware. So, if you're wise I would buy an 84 plus and update it (free and easy to do, though it is a little finnicky. I had to try ~4 times on my 84 Plus which was quite old).

Yeah I'll probably just ask my teacher if it's a good idea then. Thanks!

[theninja35]

I took BC, and I had a few friends who used the Ti 83 just fine, but they were quite a bit slower when it came to putting functions into the calculator and reading graphs and tables. I used the Ti 84 Plus CE and it made things a breeze. Entering functions/integrations/derivatives was far easier than it would be on an 83. If you can, get your hands on an 84 Plus CE. You'll be fine without it, but it will make your life so much easier.

[sazrocks]

I'd really recommend taking a look at Casio's lineup. I used an FX-CG10 (PRIZM) calculator throughout high school, and it has worked beautifully. IMO its UI is far superior to TI's, and it is far more intuitive to use than a TI. It also has a color screen, which is absolutely amazing for graphing multiple functions at once. It color codes parentheses, shows fractions in their natural format (super useful for nested fractions). But far and away the most useful function is the ability to go back in your calculation history and change things; from what I remember you can't do that with a ti-83 and you have to retype the entire expression if you make a mistake. The FX-CG50 is (AFAICT) the updated version of the FX-CG10, and is actually cheaper than the ti-83 on amazon right now. Basically, this thing is superior to a TI-84 in every way, and is still significantly cheaper.

 

Edit: Oh and I was able to play flappy bird, 2048, and minesweeper on my FX-CG10

Edit 2: The speed difference is also hilarious, even to the TI-84 plus CE, which has a processor that is three times faster than the ti-83. I hadn't thought about it before but it could really help on timed tests (like the AP):