My TI-30Xa

I think I have a similar calculator. Are the HEX, etc keys the second functions of the +, -, etc. keys? Mine is branded CVS pharmacy, but I can't remember if it got it there or somewhere else. It appears to have some summation and statistics second functions, but I can't seem to get them to do anything. It can apparently also do complex numbers with polar conversion, but how you're supposed to enter the imaginary part isn't obvious either.

It also has a random number generator, which seems to work.

"Jamie" wrote in message news:tuwzr.34317$ snipped-for-privacy@newsfe21.iad...

I think it may be a rebranded Casio, like the one I have in my tool box. cost me $9 at staples.

Cheers

I have an old (as consumer goes) generic scientific calculator, branded Canon. It does sci., stats and complex.

To do complex on mine, you: Enter "CPLX" mode (2nd F + whichever says CPLX) To enter a number: Type the real component, then press "a". If the real component is zero, then omit this step or press "0", "a". Type the imaginary component, then press "b". If the imaginary component is zero, omit this step or press "0", "b".

To calculate: Enter a number, press the operator (unfortunately, no extended functions are available, only arithmetic), enter another number, and press "=".

To read a number: press "a" to read the real component press "b" to read the imaginary component press R>P to convert to polar; "a" now contains the magnitude and "b" contains the angle (in whichever format is selected, DEG-GRAD-RAD).

A number can respectively be entered in polar format, followed by the P>R function (after which, the rectangular components can be read off).

I haven't seen any cheapie scientific calculators with symbolic math or calculus features, but I haven't gone shopping for one in ages. I always have MATLAB, Excel, SPICE, Google Calculator or Wolfram Alpha handy if I want to poke around with various things.

Tim

That sounds like it maybe the same one. The HEX,OCT, BIN, DEC are on the common -,x,+ etc keys.. and it does do polar, complex etc..

Yes, it has the Real number, imaginary part. ect.

The STAT mode works here, you need to first turn that mode on. that is the shift+On button.. then the keys on the right side become the functions you see in white and plus the shifted functions..

Jamie

Cool, I see now. Hit "STAT", and hit "data" after entering a number to add it to the statistics memory. Then I can do the mean, sample standard deviation, population standard deviation, etc.

Pretty slick for a $3 calculator!

Nice! That procedure seems to work with this calculator.

I use Wolfram Alpha pretty much exclusively for doing arithmetic that involves more than a few steps, simple systems of equations, that sort of things. For more complicated symbolic stuff (matrix multiplication of ABCD parameters, that sort of thing) I use Maxima. For numerical stuff I like SciPy/Numpy over MATLAB.

Did you ever try Yorick? It's supposed to be the Python MATLAB. Hah I still use my HP 11C until it gets more than a few register deep then I use Mathematica/Alpha. I do like the new Mathematica that it can use Alpha to parse the direct syntax without writing it out in Mathematica.

Mark DeArman

I checked a CVS. They have nothing near that value.

Did the junk store have a name? I can never fnind anything like that in the NY area.