What calculator do you use ?

[Vtile]

Yep, google is now really handy for that sorts of things. Using it myself at times.

On the otherhand it takes (according the 2011 figures) 2000 watts of power (peak average) to make a one search on it (Calculated with HP50g and its units functionality).
Not so nice if you are conserned about environmental impacts (which everything naturally does). It would be nice to know the whole energy impact (your machine, networks infrastructure and end server and the result coming back along the network infrastructure) of these kinds.  Well the unit & calculator functionality is propably a lot less as there is not huge database search involved.

Enter: 9.8 m/s^2 * 3 s
Google: 29.4 m / s
Enter: 9.8 m/s^2 * 3 s in km/h
Google: 105.84 kilometers per hour
Enter: 100000 aud/year in rubles/month
Google: 358 043.617 Russian rubles / month

It's pretty useful.

Instead of using google for this, try Wolframalpha
https://www.wolframalpha.com/
It gives you even functions and so much more

Of course I know alpha. For things like the above it takes about six seconds where google is under a second. HUGE difference. Not worth it unless it's something google can't do.

[brucehoult]

Yep, google is now really handy for that sorts of things. Using it myself at times.

On the otherhand it takes (according the 2011 figures) 2000 watts of power (peak average) to make a one search on it (Calculated with HP50g and its units functionality).
Not so nice if you are conserned about environmental impacts (which everything naturally does). It would be nice to know the whole energy impact (your machine, networks infrastructure and end server and the result coming back along the network infrastructure) of these kinds.  Well the unit & calculator functionality is propably a lot less as there is not huge database search involved.

Enter: 9.8 m/s^2 * 3 s
Google: 29.4 m / s
Enter: 9.8 m/s^2 * 3 s in km/h
Google: 105.84 kilometers per hour
Enter: 100000 aud/year in rubles/month
Google: 358 043.617 Russian rubles / month

It's pretty useful.

Instead of using google for this, try Wolframalpha
https://www.wolframalpha.com/
It gives you even functions and so much more

Of course I know alpha. For things like the above it takes about six seconds where google is under a second. HUGE difference. Not worth it unless it's something google can't do.

2 kW? Seems reasonable for a decent server.

If you type those formulas into the address bar of Safari or Chrome you'll see the answer live-updating as you type, with a delay of maybe 100 - 200 ms. So 2 kW for that time is 4000 J of 0.001 kWh (both answers obtained by live typing in my Chrome address bar). So that's something like a fortieth of fiftieth of a cent.

I'll take it.

[slurry]

I checked my desk now and found two (!) Casio fx-82MS and one HP35s,
in my phone the app realCalc is used and i also have the R&S dB calculator app, highly recommended 

[Rolo]

I use a Casio fx-991ES most off the time. I also have my first calculator that could do BASE-N, a Casio FX-4000P. Using BASE-N on the 4000 takes les keypresses, function is less hidden. Overall the 4000P is a very nice calculator to work with.

[SingedFingers]

I had an FX-4000P when I was at university. Lovely calculator

[tkuhmone]

Another calculator I have, is Casio FX-4500P. Havent used it long time, might be better to find new owner for it... Needs battery replacement, othervise ok (does not have plastic flip covers)

[Vtile]

...

2 kW? Seems reasonable for a decent server.

If you type those formulas into the address bar of Safari or Chrome you'll see the answer live-updating as you type, with a delay of maybe 100 - 200 ms. So 2 kW for that time is 4000 J of 0.001 kWh (both answers obtained by live typing in my Chrome address bar). So that's something like a fortieth of fiftieth of a cent.

I'll take it.

Hah, I think it is changed since I last time used it, now with drop down menus and everything .. and it seems to be a local process, not a server side functionality.  I did pull the plug to see. 

[David Hess]

I use a Casio fx-991ES most off the time. I also have my first calculator that could do BASE-N, a Casio FX-4000P. Using BASE-N on the 4000 takes les keypresses, function is less hidden. Overall the 4000P is a very nice calculator to work with.

My only complaint about the HP48g and HP50g is that using them with hexadecimal is a pain.  I would not mind a more programmer oriented version.

At some point I had a TI-55-II which I replaced during early high school with a TI-66 which I still have.  Then Casio's FX-7000G came out which led to a funny story.  My friend Mike made me aware of it and I thought, "I have got to get that."  So that night I arranged to travel across town to BEST to buy the last one they had.  The next morning Mike tells me that he had planned on picking up the last FX-7000G available locally but some jerk beat him to BEST by about half an hour.

Later I moved to the HP48g with RPN and never looked back although I still have my TI-66 and a couple of LCD TI-35 derivatives stored with my slide rules for emergencies.

[gildasd]

I use a Casio fx-991ES most off the time. I also have my first calculator that could do BASE-N, a Casio FX-4000P. Using BASE-N on the 4000 takes les keypresses, function is less hidden. Overall the 4000P is a very nice calculator to work with.

My only complaint about the HP48g and HP50g is that using them with hexadecimal is a pain.  I would not mind a more programmer oriented version.

At some point I had a TI-55-II which I replaced during early high school with a TI-66 which I still have.  Then Casio's FX-7000G came out which led to a funny story.  My friend Mike made me aware of it and I thought, "I have got to get that."  So that night I arranged to travel across town to BEST to buy the last one they had.  The next morning Mike tells me that he had planned on picking up the last FX-7000G available locally but some jerk beat him to BEST by about half an hour.

Later I moved to the HP48g with RPN and never looked back although I still have my TI-66 and a couple of LCD TI-35 derivatives stored with my slide rules for emergencies.

The TI-NSpire has good Hex and other non 10 based decimals options. Worth spending 10 minutes leaning how it's done.
As for the Google option, it's nice when you have it, but on site, with dodgy internet, not so good.
And if management caught us doing work calculations (fuel usage, fill rate, efficiency of x etc) on something that is not secure, like Google, not so good...

I still wish a manufacturer had an "unlimited version" of their top of the range CAS calculators with none of the educational shackles left. I think the HP 50g was the last of those.
Personally, while I do have a CAS app on my Iphone, I do find that a single purpose tool works better for me, less farting around.

[David Hess]

As for the Google option, it's nice when you have it, but on site, with dodgy internet, not so good.

Anything remote like Google or Wolfram Alpha is too slow and getting slower all the time.  I get by with Mathematica sometimes but that is local and even that is too slow unless it is already open and ready.

Plus RPN has a time saving stack.

[WattSekunde]

I use a Casio fx-991ES most off the time. I also have my first calculator that could do BASE-N, a Casio FX-4000P. Using BASE-N on the 4000 takes les keypresses, function is less hidden. Overall the 4000P is a very nice calculator to work with.

My only complaint about the HP48g and HP50g is that using them with hexadecimal is a pain.  I would not mind a more programmer oriented version.

At some point I had a TI-55-II which I replaced during early high school with a TI-66 which I still have.  Then Casio's FX-7000G came out which led to a funny story.  My friend Mike made me aware of it and I thought, "I have got to get that."  So that night I arranged to travel across town to BEST to buy the last one they had.  The next morning Mike tells me that he had planned on picking up the last FX-7000G available locally but some jerk beat him to BEST by about half an hour.

Later I moved to the HP48g with RPN and never looked back although I still have my TI-66 and a couple of LCD TI-35 derivatives stored with my slide rules for emergencies.

The TI-NSpire has good Hex and other non 10 based decimals options. Worth spending 10 minutes leaning how it's done.
As for the Google option, it's nice when you have it, but on site, with dodgy internet, not so good.
And if management caught us doing work calculations (fuel usage, fill rate, efficiency of x etc) on something that is not secure, like Google, not so good...

I still wish a manufacturer had an "unlimited version" of their top of the range CAS calculators with none of the educational shackles left. I think the HP 50g was the last of those.
Personally, while I do have a CAS app on my Iphone, I do find that a single purpose tool works better for me, less farting around.

If the 50g has a manual as good as the 48S(X) then you are right.  A user and prog. guide for the 50g in 48S(X) style needs maybe 5000 Pages.

In my opinion the 48G(X) was the first step backwards. Keyboard material and colors, documentation quality, pop up menu system, etc. are not as good as the older ones. But that's history. The last calculator withdrawal areas are schools and collectors. Kids grow up with smartphones and every other thing has a cpu in it to calculate its needs. I am a little collector. 

@Rolo: What was the problem with hexadecimal? You can configure the user keyboard or write little programs for your needs. The 48 UI is as flexible as a unix shell. And with some stack enhancement libraries even the old 48S(X) is fast enough for every need. But that's another story...

[screwbreaker]

At the high school I had a Casio fx-d400 first, and a Casio fx-p401 later. They are both stolen to me. The first at the high school, the second at the university. They was the best calculator of ever for me. I'm still looking for them on ebay from time to time.

[saturation]

Its fairly rare for calculators to be updated so I was surprised when I saw this at a Walmart, and $7.

Full review:

https://edspi31415.blogspot.com/2017/03/review-casio-fx-260-solar-ii-fx-82.html

Unfortunately, choosing a calculator is a touch complicated if you're in school. 

For general purpose electronics use, any scientific calculator will do.  I like the Casios, FX 260 is as close to ones I used heavily in school in the 1980s [ older Casios are more durably made and keys laid out better, I still use my 30+ year old college Fx-100 today]. 

This is really for bench fixups, back of napkin designs or estimates.  Portability, maintenance free, and low cost are most important, this is about $8 at Walmart or $11 at Amazon, fully solar no batteries.  Its very light too, and wont' load your shirt pocket, so I have 3: one in the lab, one in my work bag and one in the living room:



For just $1-3 more you can get another with gobs of added functions, even graphing, but it also makes the calculator bigger, adds more keystrokes, and hard to shirt pocket.

You don't really need more than ~ 8 bit accuracy for making back of envelope calculations.  if you need to do more complex or accurate calculations, its best to use a PC so the outputs are fed into SPICE or other simulator, has superb graphing, and the free Windows calculators provide all the basics.  Also if you track calculations with a 'paper tape' on a PC its far easier to manipulate.

For school, learning math concepts and being that some classes do not allow you to use a PC, PC provides far better graphing capabilities, you have to go with what the class recommends.

[rsjsouza]

Last acquisition for the collection: an HP 35s. Pretty well made calculator and has 40 bits for my Hex calculations. This is an excellent companion for my HP 48GX (which stays at home).

[RedDogAlpha]

I use the HP 35S for land, surveying and electrical engineering. It is a great calculator and you can program it with different functions and cogo routines and there’s an equation, solver, and many other functions that are really useful.

[Psi]

+1 for HP 35S

For stuff on the PC  SpeedCrunch is really good

[brucehoult]

Sadly the HP28S I mentioned in March 2017 is not not working correctly. I think it's the display connector.

So I'm using my browser search bar more than ever. But, since then I'm using Google Sheets for anything that doesn't need a program, but just multiple calculations with intermediate results and where I want to repeat it later, or have a permanent record. It's very convenient to be able to switch back and forth between a web page on my desktop machine(s) and an app on my phone.

Here in NZ it takes about 3-4 seconds to open the Sheets document browser and 2 seconds to open the document I want. Not bad. It's even faster on the iPhone app!

[mathsquid]

Its fairly rare for calculators to be updated so I was surprised when I saw this at a Walmart, and $7.

Dave did a review of this calculator a while back.

https://www.eevblog.com/2018/06/24/eevblog-1093-casio-fx260-solar-ii-calculator-review/

[djsb]

I still use the TI-85 I used for my engineering course back in 1997. I also have an NSPIRE CX CAS that I don't use as much.