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Which graphing calculator is the most useful for an engineering degree?

I have looked at many different calculators and I was wondering if anyone had any advice. I am an engineering major and I need a new calculator after my TI 84 was ruined. I have heard about TI 89, TI 89 Titanium, TI 92-plus, and Voyage 200. Does any one have any advice or recommendations? Thanks!

Public Comments

1. How much did you use it? I think you should get the nicest you can afford--if you're sure you'll use it a lot. I suspect you'll do more and more on a computer in future, so one option is to spend less on a calculator; save the rest for a computer and student edition of whatever software your sort of engineers use (matlab? maple? CAD?). TI and HP both have info on their calcs online; you don't mention HP, but I bring it up because I really love my HP calculator; it's older, so the number probably wouldn't help you, but it's held up beautifully, and it uses reverse polish notation, which is a cool and geeky thing to learn.
2. You will probably never use most of the nice features on the 89, 92, or 200. Let's suppose that you have a class that requires a lot of numerical integration. You will probably want to do this on a computer, rather than your handheld calculator. If you really want these features, the 92 and 200 are way too expensive, so go with the 89. It is best to buy them used from people who are done with their courses. Check the calculus courses. My students always buy the "biggest and baddest" even though they never use it. If you decide to save some money, My recommendation is the TI 86. It doesn't have ALL of the fancy stuff, but it has a lot. The interface is by far the nicest that TI has ever done. (Stay away from the 85...they're impossible to use!). I personally own an 83, 85, and 86. I work in an engineering lab, and I bring the 86 with me every day to work. It's great for a lot of stuff, but when things get too complicated, I just turn on the laptop and start Matlab or Maple.
3. I am currently using the TI 89 Titanium, it does most everything that I need done. The items that it doesn't do, I download programs from a ti club website.
4. I am an electrical engineering student with a TI-84. The TI-89 has many many features which come in handy when working with AC electronics equations and those with an 89 have an easier time. I'm sure the 92 does all the same things, but many people have TI-89's and there will be help available if you need it. Just don't get some rare calculator because you will probably become frustrated at times when you can't figure out how to do something and nobody knows how to work yours.
5. i am an engineer. I use the hp 48 because I am use to it. I would not suggest changing brands. I have own ti 89 and 92. they are both good it is more a question of which one do you like and which one can you afford. by the way in school I stop using graphic calculator I used the cheap scientific calculator i could buy.
6. I made it through university undegrad engineering using a rather basic calculator that would allow me to do polar and rectangular co-ordinates, factorials, permutations and combinations, contained constants, and was easy to use. I wouldn't spend the extra dollars on a high end calculator. Go for something comparable to your TI 84 and you'll be more than fine. I preferred to use something simple like the Casio fx-991MS that I was comfortable with: http://edu.casio.com/products/standard/fx991ms/ And I don't think I used and graphing functions on my older calculator after first year. Matlab (or a clone) becomes your friend later on for working on real problems.
7. im dumb as a fence post and i got through with a ti 84
8. TI-89 Titanium and TI-92 are both good as graphing calculators.