Calculators/ TI 83, TI 89, in yacht design?

Is anyone using a handheld programmable graphing calculator as a supplement for design calculations?
For example...TI 83plus, TI 89, others, etc.?
Any information on programs written for these?

Robert

 

Used to use a TI50-something with the mag cards and the printer. Pretty heavy equipment for its day, but sadly now my watch can do more
Currently using a HP-20 for hand calcs, PC for all else...

STeve

 

Graphing calculator naval architecture

I am an amature, self taught, Yacht designer with a secoundery hobby of programming graphing calculators. I've been thinking about making a boat design program (mosty for easy use in class) for a graphing calcualter. All it would probobly do though is deal w/ numbers like the table of weights, calculateing numbers such as the premismatic coeficient, and other numeric things. It probably wouldn't have anything to input lines because I don't have much time to program it w/ yacht design as my main hobby. It would also store important data such as weights of materials. Tell me what you think.

 

I have a TI-92 (great beast). I used to write some program for it at school. But is it far easier to program on computer for debugging etc... But i use it for all calculation, i think such calculator is great.

 

There is much more potential with modern handheld computers (Pocket PC & Palm). I have a Toshiba handheld running Pocket PC 2002, which has more power than the PC I was using at Uni only ten years ago. The basic operating system for Pocket PC comes with a cut down version of Excel which in an excellent tool in itself. Your files are easily transported to the full version programs on the PC, and more importantly are transferable between all different hardware running the same operating system.

For printing you can print via your PC to any supported printer, or with most models direct to any Infrared capable printer.

If you like the feel of the traditional graphic calculator, then there are emulators available for download, which you can upgrade to newer versions for a much lower cost than buying a new calculator.

The list of capabilities are endless, e.g. photo's, CAD, E-Mail, Keeping Tech info (PDF, DOC, TIF....).

I know there will be the traditionalists who disagree with me, but the days of the calculator for all but the basic functions are numbered.


Regards,

Michael

 

ingenier

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

 

Calculators

I'm a Nav. Arch. student. Most students use a ti89 or a TI 92. The 89 is more popular because of its size ( the 92 is huge and looks like a video game). These calcs. will do advanced math (calc.) and more. Personally, I use an Hp 48 gx. If I was to buy another it would probably be the hp49. The TI's are the most popular due to TI's clever marketing collaborations with textbook publishers. (The textbooks teach you to use the calculator as well as teach the math). The reason I never bought a TI is because I was raised on a hp and have a hard time using a calculator that doesn't use RPN method of entering the data. (Reverse Polish Notation). I don't program it to perform specific nav. arch. related topics, because I don't know how to do it and would rather spend the time doing something else. Besides, Excel was invented to do those types of calcs. Use a spreadsheet, it works best. However, the best thing about a graphing calculator is the size of the screen. you can have several objects on the stack at once and manipulate them as you need to. (you don't have to remember what the last entry was.)

 

TI-89 Graphing Calculators

Can't believe I just now stumbled onto this posting...

I got a TI-89 at Christmas and I'm currently trying to set it up to do some serious data logging. You can hook these calculators up to your PC to download programs, write programs on the PC to run the calculator - there's even a keyboard for the calculator.

What it really looks outstanding for is taking measurements on the performance of a boat. If you go to Vernier Software, you can order accelerometers (single and 3-axis) plus a whole bunch of other stuff. I'm going to pick up a couple of accelerometer/inclinometer chips to rig up a way of measuring trim angle without acceleration measurements getting in the way.

Understand, the boats I'm working on are single scull racing shells - they weigh about 31lbs. complete, and you've got the trim problem of a sliding 180lbs. mass rowing it. Very, very difficult to get meaningful results on performance, but the add-ons for this calculator should do about a 10x's better job than tank testing, for a total outlay of about $1,000 cdn, and you've got the equipment when you're done.

Not sure if this has any application in other fields, but it looks pretty interesting to me.

regards,

Matt Turner
Turner Racing Shells Ltd.
www.turnershells.com

(yeah, the tag line says it all....)

 

I've got quite a collection of calculators: TI-89, HP48GX, and HP49. The truth of the matter is: if I have a very complex, closed-form integral to deal with - I'll use Mathematica or Maple on my laptop. If I have a code to write, or a ton of numerical integration - I'll use Matlab or C++ on my laptop.

The ti-89/92 has very nice symbolic software for elementary calculus. However, advanced mathematics really bog down the TI's - I need a computer. When it comes down to me actually using a calculator, I'll use RPN. I use my calculator for what calculators were originally meant to do - simple addition, multiplication, etc. So, I carry around my old HP48. I like the keyboard

-Jon

 

<just kidding>
Given the rest of that post, the Berkely location is too good to be true - Geek!
</just kidding>

I tried Mathematica and found that I could do more in Excel, because I knew it _really_ well. The impetus to learn Mathematica just never came, although I'm told it's really handy. One of those "if you need it, you need it" type of programs.

Steve

 

What should it have?

I've started makeing boat design software for the TI 83+. So far I've put in a few basic calculations. I wanted to know what numaric boat design specific calculations it should be included. :?: Things that are repeatitive like the LWL and the Beam are stored in the memery so you don't have to type them in again for every calculation. The wieghts however can not be calculated in it unfortunitly because of the lack of memery to save it in (It may for a medium sized boat take up your whole memery ). Thanks.