Posts: 673
Threads: 20
Joined: Oct 2008
Well, getting off on a tangent here, and give me that soap box over there.
The Ti-83 has a great built in Statistics package that is better than anything else, especially the Hp48's limited statistics functions. However, Stat48L and Stat48 both bring up a 48 to the level of a Ti-83 (and are free). All other functions of a Ti-83 are inferior and greatly so. The Ti-83 is extremely limited for descriptive programming since it ONLY allows a single letter Variable and only 27 total variables overall.
Since it has only 27 variables to track its overhead is less and therefore can be faster. Have you checked your memory on your 48 and cleared the stack. Or do you keep lots of eq and other stuff on the stack?
I have both also, and I admit the 48 is somewhat slower than anything else, but not enough to warrent my using a lower end ti-83. But I don't often have to deal with time constraints of exams either.
Posts: 17
Threads: 5
Joined: Jan 1970
Hi!
I agree with you. I grew up using TI products (the 57 and 58) and recently used their 85 and 86. // I found that there was a simplicity about TI that was refreshing, but it also proved to be their major drawback for higher-level applications also. The HP-49G was my final pick (after a year of haggling and trying to use both!)
You're right about HP manuals for their top-of-the-line models -- they assume you've been a valued customer since the 70's and will have no problem just picking up their latest model and going right to work! It's was certainly not that easy for me, but it was worth the effort!
There are plenty of after-market books out there that will help you master the HP-48, and even a couple for the 49. Contact me if you buy a '49 and I'll pass along the info for those texts.
For me -- the HP-49 does everything I need from a programmable/graphing calculator; most of it straight from the keyboard (as opposed to having to write programs).
I can't see going back to TI, ever.
~ Bryan