Customer Reviews

Texas Instruments TI-83 Plus Graphing Calculator

5 star:		(260)
4 star:		(76)
3 star:		(25)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(29)

 

 

If you are a high school student, then this calculator is for you. It has everything you need, for algebra, precalculus, and calculus. The good thing about the 83+ is that it is upgradable, so the need for a new calculator doesn't arise, every few years. Purchasing a graph-link can add on a TREMENDOUS amount of programs to use for Physics, Geometry, and even 3D-Graphs, (previously only on the ti-89 and up). If you are in High School, do NOT get the ti-92 or ti-89, because they will probably be banned from standardized tests, and high math classes, so ask your math teacher, because they are too hard to use and understand. Also, these 2 calculators are aimed for more college-level students, so if you are in college, try the ti-89. But in every case, a ti-83+ is ideal!

Texas Instruments produces some of the most popular and well known graphing calculators in the industry. The TI-83 plus can do most any math problem found in Algebra I, Geometry, and even some Algebra II/Trigonometry. The wide screen allows for graphing equations and multi-line functions.

The graphing capabilities of the TI-83+ are a superb choice for Algebra I classes. The ability to automatically find intersections and a variety of other important components of a graph are only key presses away.

The calculator has a powerful matrix editor allowing for easy multiplication, addition, and subtraction of matrices. Division of matrices is not possible. The list editor allows for statistical analysis of data both numerically and graphically. Graphically, the 83+ can plot data in several different formats.

Anyone who is familiar with the BASIC computer language can program the TI-83+ with ease. The calculator supports the use of almost every function through a program. Programs can be typed directly into the calculator, or on a computer. The TI-83+ also supports a special form of programs called Flash Applications. Flash Applications are generally quite complex, and are written in a special language on the computer.

The manual included with the calculator is superb. It goes into detail on every single option the calculator supports. Every section includes a Quick Start tutorial that provides an practical example covering many of the chapter's topics. Learning to program in TI-BASIC, the programming language of the calculator is possible through reading the entire manual and following the examples.

The TI Graph Link cable is the interface between a computer (PC or Mac) and any TI Calculator with a link port. It comes in several variations depending on what kind of computer it will be hooked to. The cable is not included with the calculator, but can be purchased as an option. The TI-83+ Silver Edition includes a Black Link cable for Windows PCs.

When the TI-83+ is outgrown, upgrading the TI-89 will require little work for anyone who has gained experience with TI's entry level graphing calculator. The TI-89 has the capability to do Calculus and 3-Dimensional graphs primarily.

Overall, the 83+ is an excellent choice for anyone taking an Algebra course or any math class above that. The calculator does basic arithmetic, graphic, statistics, matrices, and a variety of other mathematical operations.

If you are thinking of using this calculator for Algebra, Geometry, basically any straight math, especially Calculus, DON'T. That is not to say it won't work, just that there are better things out there, namely the TI-89. The 89 is somewhat more expensive, but, in my opinion and experience, it is far superior for these applications. A few reasons: easier to get the results from previous entries, support for derivitives and integrals, and the higher resolution looks better and lets you put more on the screen at one time, as well as allowing more symbols. However, if you are planning on using the calculator for Statistics, get the 83, because, for some unknown reason, the TI engineers declined to put ANY suppport for stats on the 89, but the 83 is great at it. I have owned TI calculators for many years, and I have never experienced any quality or production problems with them and have never had any of them break except when treated REALLY badly, such as having very heavy, blunt objects dropped on the screen, and I do tend to use mine pretty hard.

The Ti-83 is a technological marvel, it is the only electronic device that stays in its original price range no matter how old it gets. These specs aren't just out of date, they're so old that you would expect them to be preceded by the phrase "remember when...."

The Ti-83 Plus came out in 1999. Aside from an extremely small amount of extra flash memory, it's the same as the Ti-83 released in 1996. And the Ti-83 itself is really not much different than the Ti-82 which came out in 1993. But somehow after all this time the price hasn't moved. Seriously, look at the listed specs: 16KB of RAM and "Big 160KB archive space." Are they kidding? That's so out of date that I can't even remember the last time I saw kilobytes used as a unit of measurement.

And talk about an awful, extremely low resolution display. This is the same 96x64 monochrome display from the original Ti-81 released in 1990. Decent displays cost almost nothing now. And it would be helpful to have a basic color display so you could have different colored lines when you mapped more than one function at at the same time.

Where does TI even find suppliers that make components this out of date? Actually, maybe that's why this thing is so expensive. The components are so old that scarcity is a big problem.

How TI has been able to dominate this market by selling extremely overpriced and out of date technology is amazing. The only good thing: if someone is ever trying to convince you that monopolies are good things that will lead to better products, just hold up your TI graphing calculator and you've won the debate.

The calculator is fine for school use, up through college as long as you're not majoring in math, physics, or something that motivates a top level device (such as the HP4* or TI89). One major benefit with the 83+ is that it's so common that most teachers know how to use it, many classmates will too, and there is tons of apps and info about it online.

However, this isn't really why I'm writing here. I want you all to take a good look at many of the reviews. Especially the five-star ones that say "this is the only calculator you'll ever need!!!", "buy now before it gets too expensive!!", "the Ti83+ is everything you'll ever need and more!!" Notice how they are all from anonymous posters, correctly spelled (a dead giveaway) and well articulated? I swear it breaks my heart that these type of reviews from "users" can't be trusted anymore. It's a fact that resellers and manufacturers actually pay people to write up their products on web boards and commerce sites such as Amazon.

Don't trust the ratings or the reviews here. For a proper evaluation, look at the technical magazines that review gadgets, and talk to teachers and classmates instead.

I don't recommend spending $100 on a calculator if you don't really need it. Being a college student taking a Statistics class, I was forced to buy the TI-83. I am very happy with it and the various things you can do with it. If you do buy the TI-83 (which I recommend), you should definitely purchase the Graph-Link cable to go along with it. The cable allows you to download various programs and even some cool games from the Internet.

I bought the TI-83 PLUS during my high school freshmen year. I bought it because we needed for Geometry. As a sophmore, I found this calculator to be a very useful tool as I continue to use it! I use it for algebra II AND chemistry -- plus, like they said, it's upgradable. Of course, I don't know ALL the functions of this calculator, but it's very useful nevertheless. It has a great keypad, a ton of functions, and it's easy to change modes. The TI-83 PLUS is incomparable to an ordinary scientific calculator -- it is SO much more! I think the TI-83 PLUS is the best buy, since it's upgradable and all. It's better than the the regular TI-83 and a better buy (since it's only a few bucks more). Even the overall look of it is different -- The TI-83 PLUS is pretty slim, in my opinion and its screen is better than the TI-83 screen. Overall, this is one of the best graphing calculators out there!

Negative 5 stars. Lets be real people, the mere existence of this device is perturbing. It is the one electronic that has evolved absolutely none in 15 years and gone UP in price!! My friend bought one recently in a pinch, he thought it might help him with calculus. I figured it'd have some new chip technology and would graph at a reasonable rate. Both no. So then I downloaded a FREE graphing calculator app on my outdated Android phone. And it's friggin marvelous: instantaneous, intuitive, will do a 3d graph of x=sin(y) (3x faster than the ti does sin(x)) that rotates in full color with ability to pan and zoom on the touchscreen.

I can't even list all the advantages of an android/iPod over the TI's in this space, but what about battery, USB, internet, brightness, 192mb ram.. The TI-83 must be $3 to make by now with it's laughable 32kb!! of ram and 6 mhz processor. This makes my (dated!) phone exactly 88 times as fast with 6000 times the memory. I did that calculation on my phone and if I threw in a sin(x) at the end it would have automatically graphed 88sin(x) for sh!ts and giggles. Then I could zoom out 10 times, take a screenshot, and email it to you, just because I can (in 30 seconds). Hello! Note that even if I didn't opt for a cell plan I could still use wifi. Ahem. Wifi.

Shame on the people who keep this piece of junk in the school systems as a standard. Realistically, a dedicated device of this price today could be phenomenal. Apple should make one. TI is going to (and deserves to) be brutally trounced in the calculator market for this eventually, but in the mean time they're basically restricting learning in schools to be done at a snails pace with minute functionality for a large profit, and for the massive portion bought by the school system, at your expense.

The TI-83 made my statistics class easier to endure. I am not a math major, but had to take this statistics class to graduate. This calculator saved me many hours of homework time.
If you buy the TI-83 for Dummies book along with this calculator, you will be glad you did.

This calculator is pretty good, but it has its betters. The TI-89 far outstrips this calculator, especially for its "pretty print" function and its CAS (Computer Algebra System), which allows for the actual calculator to perform algebraic functions, such as solve(, factor(, expand(, csolve(, and a number of other functions. Also, variables exist only as variables, and not zero like on the 83. The 89 also allows students to perform work that would normally be done on paper, which can unfortunately prevent people from learning. For example, if you type in [(33x - 17)/14 = 195]*14, the equation becomes (33x - 17 = 2730). Then you can do ((33x - 17 = 2730))+17, and you'll get (33x = 2743), then do (33x = 2747)/33, and youll get as an answer x = 2747/33. This eliminates the need for most handwork.

But, the 89 comes with a hefty price tag, and is only really necessary for advanced mathematics classes.

The 83 is a good buy for these reasons:
1) it has a lower price (always a plus)
2) it has more compatibility and expandibility in terms of flash apps than the 89
3) the majority of teachers teach using the 83 as their example. In fact, many texts teach students to perform functions key for key, which will leave people with other calculators confused
4) it will suffice for calculus and all math classes in highschool, but the 89 is better
5) many teachers and peers will be able to help you with using the calculatory
6) the 83 is built for statistics, and therefore it is the calculator to have if you are taking statistics. Once again, the most popular statistics texts are based on the 83
7) it is more user-friendly than the other calculators