What is the best calculator for chemistry 1 in college?

Question

I'm taking Chem 1 in college..I have a TI-30XIIS and it always messes up any problems with like 10^-3 x anything stuff like that.. what is the best calculator to use?

Answer 1

A TI 84+ silver edition is your best bet- ti84s and ti83s are really easy to use (ti89s are impossible). Ti83s and ti84s are basically the same, but a new ti84+ silver comes with a factor finder (which kinda helps for some chem topics, but is really helpful for any math class Algebra 2 and up). Also, ti84+ silver has a built in periodic table, which is really great. You might be able to transfer these programs to a ti83+, but you might not have enough memory, and you need someone else who has the same program. ti89 is the top calc available, but its $40 more than a 84+ silver.



go with the ti84+ silver

Answer 2

Well it depends on your college. For example in the U of I, we are not allowed to use graphing calculators so I also use a Ti-30x and it works just fine. If you can use a graphing calculator i would suggest just having a ti-89 since you'll use it during calc 1-2 anyway.



How does it mess up problems with exponents? I just use the EE key when dealing with scientific notation and it works just fine.

Answer 3

Ideally you would want an entry to mid level graphing calculator. The TI-83+ for example will serve you well for most any college math or science class. However, any scientific calculator capable of exponents, square roots, logarithms, and scientific notation will work just fine for a basic college chemistry class.