Can you help a newbie?

[Sunnihippichick]

I am preparing to take a pre-algebra class in college. It's been 20 years since I've been in school, and in high school I failed algebra, because of this I have chosen careers that avoided math altogether. I never understood the need for combining letters with numbers. lol. As far as I was concerned, letters are for reading, writing, literature, etc. and numbers are for counting. The whole thing always looked like a jumbled mess and scared the crap out of me. I want to make sure that I have the right instrument for the job. The course simply calls for a Scientific Calculator. I have noticed on here that people have definite preferences about which calculators to use. Since I am a newbie to algebra and will be progressing on from there, I need to know what is the best thing to start out with that will be good for the basics on through to the more complicated classes. My goal is a degree in O.T., so math is a must. The school suggests the TI-84+. How far will that get me? Can I get away with starting out with something higher, will it help me more? I appreciate your advice, but please don't respond as if I am an idiot and talk down to me.

[Greg H.]

The TI-84+ should be fine for an algebra class, but you may want something with more features if you plan to go into say Physics or take a lot of Calculus classes.

 

I would make the same recommendation to you that I make to people asking for advice on buying computers. Decide what you need it to do and then buy the equipment that matches those needs.

 

Personally, I bought a TI-92 back when I was in school. It's an expensive piece of kit (or at least it was 10 years ago), but it came in handy for a lot of classes because of the built in functionality for differentials and integrals. However, I know some schools don't like them because of the built in notepad feature.

 

Edit to add:

What is O.T. as a major? All I come up with is Occupational Therapy.

Edited August 24, 2012 by Greg H.

[Sunnihippichick]

Thanks for the advice. Yes, O.T. is Occupational Therapy

[Greg H.]

Thanks for the advice. Yes, O.T. is Occupational Therapy

 

No problem, and very good. I used to work for a therapy center when I was in college.

 

On the subject of the calculators, it looks like the TI 89 is the new TI 92. If you need more advanced features than the 84+ offers, that's what I would recommend. If you don't, I'd stick with the 84+ - it's about $30 - $40 (USD) cheaper from what I see online.

[CaptainPanic]

First of all, if your school recommends one particular calculator (TI-84+), that probably means the teachers understand that one the best. Therefore, buying the recommended one means you'll get help easier. It might not be the best calculator around, but it has practical advantages at your particular school.

 

I never understood the need for combining letters with numbers. lol. As far as I was concerned, letters are for reading, writing, literature, etc. and numbers are for counting. The whole thing always looked like a jumbled mess and scared the crap out of me.

 

Yeah, I understand that completely. They make such a fuss about the letters, and in maths they never mean a thing!

 

In real life, by now you have worked with that "jumbled mess of letters and numbers" a lot. Without knowing it, you probably got quite experienced with it actually.

You will see that once the maths gets applied to a real-life problem, the letters mean something, and you might recognize things quickly... and the reason they use a single letter (instead of whole words) is just laziness. It's quicker to write a single letter.

 

Only in maths classes are the letters without meaning.