The minimum necessary calculator

There is no assigned text for the class, but it is mandatory that you have a calculator that can do statistics. If you already have a calculator, check with the teacher to see if it can do all the tasks needed for the class. For example, a TI-83 or a TI-84 are very good choices, but if you are going to buy a calculator specifically for this course, you can get one much cheaper. (Note: If you have a TI-89 and you aren't planning to take any math after statistics, you have too much calculator for your purposes, and it might be a good idea to buy a new, cheaper calculator. The TI-89 is designed for people who are going on in math to calculus and beyond, and it makes doing statistics a little harder than it should be.)

I recommend the TI-30XIIs calculator. Texas Instruments does not pay me to say this. The reasons I recommend it are these.

1. It's cheap. The highest price I have seen for it is $19.99 at Walgreen's. I have seen it as low as $13.50 at Radio Shack.

2. It's available at a lot of places. The Laney bookstore should have this calculator, but it is also sold at drug stores like Walgreen's and Long's, electronics stores like Radio Shack and Best Buy, office supply stores like Office Max and Staples and department stores like Target and Wal-Mart. There should be one of these stores somewhere convenient for you.

3. It does a lot of work for you. The TI-83 and TI-84 are a little more useful than the TI-30XIIs, but the price difference is about $100 more. If this is the last math class you will be taking, I can't recommend spending the extra cash for just a few features. (Note: I do NOT recommend the TI-30Xa. It's not quite powerful enough.)

4. It's solar powered. There is also the TI-30XIIb, and the only difference is b is for battery and s is for solar. Spend two bucks more now, save on batteries and help the environment.

5. Even after class is over, it's nice to have a good calculator around the house. Or at least that's my experience.

As I wrote in the syllabus, there is no textbook for the class, but a calculator is mandatory. You will not be allowed to share a calculator with a classmate on quizzes and exams, and you will be expected to know how to use your own calculator. There will be class time alloted to teaching people how to use their calculators, and I would like the class to have as few different types of calculators as possible. I recommend Texas Instrument calculators because I have used most of the models that are useful for a statistics course and should be able to instruct students on their uses. Other brands like H-P or Casio are not be as well known to me, and a student with one of these may be forced to read the instruction manual to find out how to do certain things needed in the course.