The Badder Bad Boy of Calculators – ACT beware
So for those of you who had your mind blown by the earlier article on the TI-89 Titanium, I’m here to cause some more cerebral explosions.
Ti-89 Titanium is a pretty bad boy (in a good way). There’s no doubt about that. But sadly, that bad boy can only be used on the SAT. That leaves the problem of the even more formidable ACT math section. It would be amazing if there was a calculator that was even MORE powerful and allowed on BOTH the ACT and SAT!
Enter the TI-Nspire CX.
Just the name is intimidating. This badder bad boy of calculator can do everything the TI-89 does and then some. With functions like “solve” and “factor” and the ability to graph linear inequalities and 3D-functions, you literally can just put the question in the calculator and it gives you the answer. Taking differential equations in college? It can solve those too. Want to keep track of chemical formulas and their atomic composition? It has a built-in Chem Box. If you’re looking for a calculator to last you for the rest of your education, this is it.
“But Dominick, calculators are bad! They’re teaching kids how to push buttons without actually knowing the math behind it!
” Nonsense. Yes, students should know how to do practical math in their head (fractions, multiplication tables, decimal and percent conversions, etc). But what about formula-driven tasks like quadratics, messy linear equations, rational functions, and conic sections? As much as you’d like to think otherwise, most of the time they’re simply learning how to “move stuff around” and “plug-in” to get the right answer – how is that different from pushing a button?
Unleash the power of technology! By playing around with such incredible tools as the TI-Nspire CX and TI-89 Titanium, students not only develop a richer sense of what’s going on in those equations but can progress much more rapidly through the subjects. And being allowed to use these on the ACT and SAT, they will surly progress much more rapidly to crushing the test.
Stay Smart!
Dominick, Director and Lead Creative Tutor of Launch Academy, DaVinci Scholar, and University Guest Speaker
PS. While the TI-Nspire CX is allowed on both the SAT and ACT, the TI-Nspire CX CAS is only allowed on the SAT. Know the difference!
