Texas Instruments TI-30XS MultiView Scientific Calculator

This is a good calculator at a good price, BUT you should only buy it if youre required to have this particular model--or if better models are outlawed by your teacher. I will explain that more below: Its dual powered by solar and CR 2032 3V battery, which is nice. Ive had mine 5 years and havent yet had to change the battery. (Changing the battery requires unscrewing the back panel and taking the calculator apart, by the way! While it doesnt have a CAS or graphing capabilities and cant solve systems of equations or evaluate integrals and derivatives, etc.,this is a fairly advanced machine... the data list functions are sophisticated and the multi-view feature is something not often found on calculators at this price point. I use this calculator solely because it is the best calculator approved for actuarial examinations. Outside of the fact that it doesnt have TVM keys like a financial calculator (necessary for 1-2 exams out of the series of 9-10 actuarial exams)... this is, by far, the best calculator that is approved by the SOA. ******** HOWEVER, if youre looking in this price range and you dont have onerous restrictions on what youre allowed to use, there are calculators at this price point that are definitely superior! ********* (1.) For about the exact same price as the TI-30XS MultiView, there is a Casio model (I think its called ES-115 Plus) thats designed in Japan with way more features, and I think its easier to use too. Its very direct, with lots of shortcut keys. It manipulates matrices and can transpose and invert and rref to solve linear equations. It also can evaluate derivatives and integrals numerically. Besides graphing, this Casio will do exactly the same things of calculators ten times its cost. Its a FAR superior machine than the MultiView for the same price. Period. (2.) For just $5 more than the MultiView and Casio, you can get the TI-36X Pro. It doesnt have graphing capabilities, but besides graphing, it does just about everything--and more in some cases--than TIs more expensive lineup of calculators (starting at TI 83). The MultiView is maybe good for middle school; whereas, the TI-36X Pro (and the Casio) could reasonably be used throughout high school and college studies and even through graduate mathematics, statistics, and sciences. The 36X Pro isnt as direct or fast as the Casio, but has many menus which can be accessed. You could muck your way through using the TI more than you can with the Casio, imo. There are about 100 stored constants (things like the speed of light, gravitational force, mass of an electron, etc.). There are various built-in probability distributions (binomial, geometric, etc.) It can do unit/dimensional analysis (although entering units is a pain) and it can do conversions too. Its very similar to the Casio I mentioned above. The major differences would be the TI has a lot of menus to access its capabilities and the Casio has shortcut keys. The 36X Pro is also a tad more expensive.

Got all the math functions that is required to perform math lessons for mid and high schoolers.

This scientific calculator is very nice the instructor gave us the exact order number we bought them last year and I bought an extra one this year in case my granddaughters calculator just stolen hers held up all through her first year in high school thats how good it is 9th graders are tough on stuff. The instructor likes them so much that she puts it on all of the brochures now she has the sophomore Junior and senior math department instructors doing the same. Wally world doesnt cut it this calculator I bought on Amazon is lasting its well made the batterys last long the keys have not lost their color of the numbers and it was used a lot.

So far it’s working, just got it so let’s see how it goes. For now though I’m a satisfied Customer.

Loved it! Best price we found anywhere and it was exactly what her supply list requested!

Below is the review Id written before. Its been a few months since I used this calculator so Im going to forget some things. But I have to take back something I said about it regarding exact answers & adjust my rating as well. The key just above the enter key (<>) will give an exact answer if used at the end of your entry. So that complaint is mostly gone. Id like to be able to set a mode where this is the default behavior, but the button will do in a pinch. But I still scratch my head at programming the calculator to return exactly what you give it in that respect. It isnt intuitive. But I think I was unfair in my rating before so I wanted to update. I decided to keep the calculator around to do personal accounting & random calculations on Summer break. It has worked out very well for that & the larger display lets me look at a few lines at once. The form factor and weight are desirable compared to the more powerful calculator. For its intent, its a solid little piece. It just has little items that differ enough from the TI graphing calculators to add frustration. For me anyway. I wont use it again in class or on tests unless forced. I may carry it as a small, light backup, but it will be a last resort. Snip: To give an example, if I give this calculator the task of computing 2 root 2, it gives me back 2 root 2 as an answer. In order to get beyond something I already knew, I have to do something like 2.000000000000000000001 root 2. Thats pretty annoying and clutters the screen. I and a few others have tried working through all the settings & cant get out of this mode. Furthermore, it only does it when it feels like it. As this is the ONLY calculator Im allowed to use in calc-based physics, I find this deeply annoying - so much that I cant bring myself to muster another star to keep the lone one company. Other than that, I appreciate that its laid out somewhat like the 84 & 89. The solar thing is nice & it doesnt take up much room. But the little niggles are so aggravating that unless Im in an exam, I have my 89 sitting right next to this one at all times...only use it so I know whats gonna happen to me on exams. After this series of classes, I suspect I may use some physics to destroy this thing properly.

It’s easy to learn and understand.

Easy to use and read, requested by Teacher for homework.

Bought for my 8th grade daughters math class. The calculator was very easy to learn, for her to use and helpful for class.

The calculator was like my in class calculators, which is exactly what I needed at home. Excellent.