Sharp EL-W516B Scientific Calculator with WriteView (Black)

by Sharp

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 9.6 x 1.1 inches ; 10.1 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B00154J4DO
• Item model number: ELW516B
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (63 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
  • #50 in Electronics > Office Electronics > Calculators > Scientific
• Date first available at Amazon.com: July 7, 2004

Product Description

The ELW516B scientific calculator by Sharp performs over 535 scientific functions and has seven different modes. It features WriteView technology which displays formulas as they are written in textbooks eliminating any confusion on how to enter each formula into the calculator. It has a large 4-line, 12-digit LCD display, ensuring that whole formulas will be visible. The playback feature allows you to make changes to formulas easily without having to start over from the beginning when you¿ve entered a wrong key. It has four programmable function keys that you program for quick and easy access to the functions you use the most. The ELW516B has improved calculation speed for smooth operations. The hard cover helps prevent the calculator from dents or scratches. Calculator is solar and battery operated.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

98 of 99 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous and newly improved Sharp El-W506/W516 scientific calculator, July 5, 2008

By 

Ann E. Revelle (Los Alamos, New Mexico) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sharp EL-W516B Scientific Calculator with WriteView (Black) (Office Product)

I just purchased the Sharp EL-W506 scientific calculator from the UK at a great low price (from Oxford Educational). However the new Sharp ELW516 now available on Amazon in the USA is apparently ALMOST equivalent to the Sharp EL-W506 (as indicated in the product manual, it is also equivalent to the ELW546). All three nearly identical units have been produced to replace the now discontinued Sharp EL-506WBBK calculator. These are all fabulously improved over the EL-506WBBK and I highly recommend their purchase even in comparison to the Casio FX-115ES (or FX-991ES in Europe) and even over the Casio FX-115ES Plus now available elsewhere.

PROS-
A summary of the most important improvements follows:

a) A catalog is now provided of all functions available within the machine and any of these commands can be stored on the function keys D1-D4 for easy and quick recall.

b) Write-view (Sharp trade mark) 4 line capability for displaying the full set of information on numerical evaluations of integrals and derivatives as well as any other algebraic manipulations. This is totally equivalent to the SVPAM or VPAM available on the Casio FX-115ES or ES Plus, etc.

c) A "Change" key to convert from Decimal to fractional forms and back again which is very similar to what is also found on the respective Casio machines.

d) Full control over the keyboard contrast is also now available.

e) 556 functions are claimed to be available on the new Sharp units as compared to a little over 400 on the FX-115ES (417 functions are claimed on the new FX-115ES Plus). There are also six modes that can be set to work within such as: Normal for integration, ordinary number crunching, etc., Complex numbers, Matrices, Lists, Equation solving, etc.

f) An on-screen form to be filled in is available for full and easy storage of all lists, matrices and vectors. Matrices are also easily manipulated into lists.

g) There is also a much improved set of information provided during the process of obtaining scientific constants and for the conversion of metric values to non-metric unit values as well.

h) Frequently used expressions that you are free to create are quickly and easily stored on the special keys F1-F4 for repeating computations. These same keys (unshifted) can also be used for a very useful multi-line playback of results as well. There are also separate D1-D4 keys (directly above the F1-F4 keys) for memory and expression storage as well giving the Sharp a large number of memory locations.

i) When the calculator turns off after 10 minutes of inactivity, the display resumes to indicate your results exactly where you left off and all work is NOT lost into cyberspace! This feature the Casio will not perform as all work is lost when the Casio is turned off!

j) Statistical functions are also input more intuitively and conveniently (arrangements have been changed on the keyboard) than on the EL-506WBBK as well (A set of up to 100 values can be input for 2 parameter statistics). All of the one parameter {x} and two parameter {x,y} statistical data (each separately specified with frequency of occurrence information) are also readily available on-screen with the touch of the central up-down, left-right control key, both before and after their entry for editing, etc. Unlike the Casio FX-115ES calculator which then consolidates the statistics calculations into a single isolated menu accessed from the keyboard, the Sharp has numerous specified keys shifted through the alpha key prompt to access all statistical results which makes its keyboard somewhat busy compared to the Casio, but still very useful and well organized.

k) The solutions displayed for both cubic and quadratic equations are now in a much more readable form as well as for the two and three values linear equation solutions.

l) A name or lengthy phrase with embedded spaces can also be readily stored deep within the machine that is automatically displayed with the Sharp Logo during the shutdown process. I believe that this new feature will tend to cut down on theft problems too.

m) The new EL-W506/516/546 now requires only a single LR44 backup battery unlike the EL-506WBBK which required 2 of these batteries.

n) Even after all this, its size hasn't changed at all and the new Sharps can still evaluate up to 4th order matrices whereas the Casio will only evaluate matrices as high as 3rd order!

o) The newly revised MATH menu is an excellent control feature for doing various operations within various modes as is the SET-UP control menu shifted on the same key.

CONS:

a) Numerical integrals on the new Sharp units are now a little slower to perform than on the Casio FX-115ES for example, but once complicated integrals are performed the time differences are much smaller.

Finally, in this global world of ours, I wish that both Sharp as well as Casio would do a better job of providing more reliable and truthful information not only to us the end users, but also to its N. American employees on the distribution to N. America of all of its various new products.

57 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sharp EL-W506 versus Casio FX-115ES, September 13, 2008

By 

CECIL ERDLY "Nerds R Us" (FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sharp EL-W516B Scientific Calculator with WriteView (Black) (Office Product)

I bought a Sharp EL-506R eight years ago because I thought it was the best deal under $20 for a scientific calculator. (I thought the Sharp had been the best deal ever since the EL-506A was introduced.) Then the Casio FX-115MS and FX-115ES (ES) were introduced. Sharp has responded with the EL-W516 (W), so I was anxious to compare it to the similar ES. Both have the entry mode that looks like problems written on paper. Very nice! The following observations are in no particular order.

First the Sharp. I prefer the CHANGE button to the S-D on the ES. It rotates three forms of an answer; mixed number, improper fraction, and decimal.

Arguments for trig and log functions on the W do not require parentheses.
The percent key on the ES no longer does the unique and clever increase, decrease, and change functions as on older Casio models. The W percent is now better.

The W has two more memories (E and F), 4X4 matrices instead of 3X3, 4 matrices rather than 3, and 4 lists rather than 3 vectors.

The W includes pental (base 5) numbers.

The DRILL feature generates quizzes on basic math facts. (Our calculator dependent generation is getting very weak on these!)

Adding vectors in polar form is easier and the display can show the entire answer without scrolling. And changing from rectangular to polar is easier.

The W can do constant calculations with the four basic functions.
It has 4 definable functions and 4 formula memories. These can be used in matrix and list modes.

It has a catalog menu of all functions.

The constants and conversions are stored in the calculator and not on an external list and therefore always available.

The DRG button allows you to convert from degrees to radians, etc. (The DRG button on the ES is completely different; it allows you to enter an angle in degrees while the calculator is in the radian mode, for example.)

The W can store your name so that it is displayed along with the Sharp logo when it is turned off. You can include your telephone number or the name of your favorite nerd on the second line. :-)

The sigma function allows increments other than one. You can add all the odd numbers from 1 to 99, for example, by changing the increment to 2.

The random function includes die, coin, and integer. The die generator, for example, shows numbers one to six.

It is not necessary to specify a separate list for the frequency of data in the STAT mode. It simply requires a comma and the frequency number when it is not one. (This applies to both one and two dimension data.) Also, the associated statistics variables (a, b, r, x', y', etc.) are on the keyboard and easily accessible.

The STO and RCL keys do not require a 2nd function prefix.

Generally speaking, the W requires fewer keystrokes for the frequently used functions. For example, restoring the defaults requires 5 keystrokes on the ES and only 3 on the W.

Now to the Casio. The integral function uses the Gauss-Kronrod method (whatever that is) rather than Simpson's method on the W. It seems faster and more accurate.

The often used ANS and Square Root keys do not require the 2nd prefix.

Results of calculations in different modes can be expressed as exact fractions. Complex numbers can even mix radicals and fractions. Also, complex numbers can be stored in the A-D memories. (The W displays decimals only when not in the normal mode.)

The TABLE function is very handy when you want to view a function over a given domain.

The VECTOR function can actually be duplicated using the LIST function on the W. The W can calculate dot product, cross product, and absolute value using lists as vectors. The VECTOR function is easier to use. However, the W can store complicated formulas, for example, like the angle between vectors and perpendicular vectors, for easily repeated calculations.

The MATRIX and EQUATION functions are nearly identical on the two calculators. I find the ES a little more user friendly on the equation applications. When you modify a matrix or a vector (list), the ES simply uses the data function. The W is rather awkward; it requires a four step process of load, modify, exit, and store. However, it is easier to copy a matrix or list on the W. I wish both the ES and the W would handle matrices and vectors and lists like graphics calculators. They are much more intuitive and easier to remember.

The data used for regression can be saved if you want to try another curve fit. The W erases your data if you decide to try another fit for a better correlation coefficient.

It is possible to generate and find the sum of the terms in an arithmetic or geometric sequence simultaneously using the independent memory. Once initiated, each term only requires one keystroke on the ES. A similar process is possible on the W, but each term requires two keystrokes.

One feature that the ES dropped from the MS model is the copy function. On the older MS model, it was possible to program all the keystrokes necessary to solve the ambiguous case (SSA) by only pressing the equal button. You could view all six results!

I may come back and add to this review as I have longer to live with both calculators. So which one is better? That's a tough question. Both are superior to the HP and TI models in the same price range as far as I am aware. I think nobody would buy these if they knew what the ES and W are capable of. The perfect calculator in this price range would have all the ES and W features with RPN!

The ES is available in many outlets, the W is only available by mail order. I think I prefer the W, but it is close. I would not complain if I had to settle for the ES. If both calculators were available to use, in my subjective humble opinion, I would choose to use the W most of the time. But that may change over time.

39 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Update on a Classic, June 30, 2008

By 

B. Rowe (Peoria, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sharp EL-W516B Scientific Calculator with WriteView (Black) (Office Product)

Being a young math nerd and later moving on to engineering I have always needed a good calculator next to me.

In my youth I had a previous version of this calculator, the Sharp EL-506D, which had scads of functions I did not understand the purpose of, but was fascinated with nonetheless. I used that same calculator all through college, slowly learning the significance of new functions such as complex numbers (useful in electromagnetics) hex and octal conversions (digital logic) three variable equation solving (algebra and later on differential equations).

I still have that calculator and it still works great. The only problem is I have worn the paint off of some of the buttons. I decided to start looking around for a new version of this calculator and after going through several I found the Sharp W535B - which is a great calculator as well, but doesn't have as many functions as the old EL-506D that I've got.

I found the Writeview feature on the W535B (also found on casio and TI models) so great though that I searched all over for a newer version of my old beater and found the Sharp W506B.

To my dismay, that calculator is not sold inside the US at this time and to get one you need to import from England, essentially tripling the price.

Then I finally found this W516B at Amazon - and it has all of the essential functions that are on the W506B. This is a great calculator. There are so many improvements over my old 506D that I don't even miss it.

1. Solar panel
2. Writeview
3. Equation recall
4. Shortcut buttons that can be remapped to your most used functions

The list goes on. You will never need another calculator. I've had several calculators, plus programmable graphing, but I don't think programmable calculators will help very much to drill basic math skills into your head, which is necessary for tests. This calculator is a great balance in that it helps speed up some of the basics but doesn't do everything for you.

Highly recommended.