Ask HN: Should there be new RPN calculators to replace the TI-84?
I took an exam today where only TI calculators were available. I felt I was caught between some older models where the TI interface was not quite worked out.
And I don't see much progress then trying my daughter's TI-84.
Calculators, especially scientific and graphing calculators, are a niche product these days, almost exclusively limited to education and exam-taking. There is no impetus for changing the approved models, given the mountains of materials adapted to their use (TI actively worked with various educational bodies to promote the use of graphing calculators and helped prepare the curricula using their own.)
Don't expect great changes in this area, although the impending death of the Dept. of Education might shake up things. Not for the better, I think.
Not what the OP asked for but related.
The link below is for a near perfect simulation of the classic HP-15C RPN calculator. Works on both desktop and mobile.
In a former lifetime, I was an engineer. I bought one of these in the early 1980s and used it for almost 40 years before the screen died. Very popular among my colleagues at the time.
https://jrpn.jovial.com/
That is awesome. Thank you for posting this.
I had to look it up:
RPN = reverse Polish notation
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverse_Polish_notation
Wow. In my day it was well-known. HP calculator ads in magazines explained RPN and why it was better.
"Magazine? Had to look it up."
I did UIL competitions in Texas in the late 90s and early 2000s, including calculator competitions.
That's the only place I've ever heard of RPN, which is what nearly all of the winners used, and which we learned to stand a chance.
Have a look at https://www.numworks.com a easy to use scientific calculator that is opensource
As a high school student I can’t recommend the NumWorks enough (but you will absolutely find it lacking if you need it for anything other than high school maths).
It’s a really nice tool (although not an RPN calculator). It’s like if Apple designed a calculator… very intuitive.
That said, I wouldn’t call it fully open source. They had some issue because they released an update that locked down their calculators to satisfy school boards (because otherwise students could modify test modes to cheat on tests). The software on GitHub was also out of date, last time I checked.
Not really true anymore unfortunately: The latest models (post-2020?) are locked down and cannot use non-official FW.
There are some RPN calculators from SwissMicros that are inspired by HP’s RPN calculators from the 1980s and 1990s:
https://www.swissmicros.com/products
There is also the HP-15c Collector’s Edition (I have one), which is still in stock: https://www.thecalculatorstore.com/c/hp15c
Two caveats:
1. These RPN calculators are not cheap.
2. Many standardized tests have lists of approved calculators, and it’s possible that the calculators I mentioned might not be on the list. TI has dominated the education market in the United States for the past few decades, and even during the heyday of HP’s RPN calculators, HP largely focused on engineers and other professionals rather than education. Thus, you may need to buy a TI calculator for exam purposes.
I love RPN calculators: I have a HP-48X that I bought used on eBay nearly 20 years ago when I was an undergrad, and my aforementioned HP-15c Collector’s Edition. However, these are collectibles for me; as a computer science professor I’m always in front of a computer, and thus I have access to the Unix dc command whenever I need an RPN calculator, and for more complex computations I have my choice of Excel and various programming languages.
The HP Prime, though pricy, supports a decent RPN mode. Definitely for a higher level of education (CAS, programs, all that fun stuff), but approved for a decent amount of US based exams.
TI calculators are not RPN. I think HP made (makes?) RPN calculators.
Even 7th and 8th grades use TI Nspire CX calculators in my area.
As rightbyte said, RPN is an HP thing, so if you want an RPN calculator, ask for an HP. Most test administrators can help you.