Good calculator for a kid

Discussion in 'Physics & Math' started by Jennifer Murphy, Oct 10, 2014.

  1. Jennifer Murphy Registered Senior Member

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    239
    My grandson may be a bit of a math whiz. He's only in 3rd grade, but has been doing math problems up to the 6th grade level. He's fascinated by probability, especially the odds in the paper for the NFL teams. We live in different cities and cheer for different and rival teams, so I've been using this to stimulate him to learn how the odds work. He's doing pretty well for a 3rd grader.

    I just ordered him a copy of Probability for Dummies. It was the most elementary book I could find. I wanted something that didn't require calculus or even algebra. I think most of even this book will be too much for him, but he is an intrepid reader, so you never know.

    I also want to get him a calculator that he can use to help with the calculations. I'm thinking one that can handle arithmetic with fractions (1/2 x 2/3) which wold help with some probability problems. Maybe one that can do some simple programming would also be good. Any recommendations?

    I'd also be interested in other elementary books.

    Thanks
     
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  3. brucep Valued Senior Member

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    I'd consider getting him a hand held scientific calculator. They always have a nice book on how it works and he could learn new things as needed. It will have the fractions function you mentioned.
     
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  5. Jennifer Murphy Registered Senior Member

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    Do you have one that you like? Or are they all pretty much the same?

    His birthday is coming up in a few weeks. I'm thinking of getting the same one for both of us so we can compare notes and I can send him homework assignments.
     
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  7. cosmictraveler Be kind to yourself always. Valued Senior Member

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    Just put the word calculator in Google and you get a free one.
     
  8. Jennifer Murphy Registered Senior Member

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    Yes, of course. There are lots of free online calculators. But this kid is in the third grade. His parents are not that comfortable allowing him on the Internet, which I think is appropriate. I'm looking for a handheld device.
     
  9. cosmictraveler Be kind to yourself always. Valued Senior Member

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    On any ISP you'll find there are ways to prevent children from going on to sites they shouldn't be going to. So have them ask their ISP to give them the details of how to go about doing that. Same as with TV.
     
  10. Dinosaur Rational Skeptic Valued Senior Member

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    HP50G is an excellent hand calculator with lots of math functions. It uses a stack instead of the typical input method, which is great after you get used to it.
     
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  11. brucep Valued Senior Member

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    I have a fairly old CASIO. I haven't looked at what's available for quite awhile. There's no substitute for learning the logic but the calculator can give you a hint when you're stumped and really good for checking homework results before you're asked to write down a homework problem on the blackboard. LOL. Your plan sounds really nice. So what's his NFL team? Just curious.
     
    Last edited: Oct 22, 2014
  12. billvon Valued Senior Member

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    21,634
    For entry level I'd get him a Casio FX-260 solar (no batteries) for about $8. Does fractions.
    For intermediate level I'd just get him an older Android phone with no service and get a calculator app. It can do far more and they are pretty cheap. A Samsung Galaxy S2 is about $100 used.
    For advanced math work I'd get him Mathcad for a PC.
     
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  13. Jennifer Murphy Registered Senior Member

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    239
    That looks like a great calculator, but I'm afraid that it will be too much for him right now. I think I'll look for something more elementary and may get him the 50g in a couple of years. Thanks.
     
  14. Jennifer Murphy Registered Senior Member

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    239
    That looks like a good choice. The solar power is a real plus provided that it works in room light. The calculator I bought him a year ago uses batteries and his dad says they are replacing them all the time. I'll but one for myself and test it out. Thanks for the tip.
     
  15. Jennifer Murphy Registered Senior Member

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    239
    He lives in Seattle, so the Seahawks. I live in the bay area. We trash talk each other about the Hawks vs the Niners. Both teams had a really bad day last week.

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  16. brucep Valued Senior Member

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    4,098
    Seahawks and Niners. Sounds like fun. I'm in San Diego so right now I'm pretty disappointed in the defense collapse the last two weeks. The tackling has been terrible while exemplary until we went to Oakland. Niners coming up. Coach Carroll is a fav of mine since I'm a big fan of the University of Spoiled Children. It wasn't that long ago that Coach Jim Harbaugh was getting his start coaching a local 'no football scholarships' university in the San Diego area and was a Charger at the end of his playing career. Not surprised with the NFL success for these Coaches.

    BTW the Casio I have is the one biovon mentioned and they work real well in indoor lighting.
     
    Last edited: Oct 25, 2014
  17. krash661 [MK6] transitioning scifi to reality Valued Senior Member

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    i still have and use both my sharp EL-512 and my TI-31[solar]. i always have to replace the batteries on the el though.
     
    Last edited: Oct 26, 2014
  18. Jennifer Murphy Registered Senior Member

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    239
    Yeah, you should have beat the Raiders 35-0. Please do so the next time. You should have beat Kansas City, but they are a decent team. The loss to Denver is another matter. They look set top win it all.
    If there ever was a classic oxymoron, it's "football scholarship".
    I just ordered two of them. I was puzzled by the reviews on Amazon saying that it will only work in bright sunlight. I have an old Office Depot solar calculator that will work in any light that I can see in and my eyes are very old and tired.
     
  19. brucep Valued Senior Member

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    4,098
    The classic oxymoron, LOL. The pretense of it all. Football scholarship. Still dig it. Hope your grandson digs the calculator.
     
  20. TBodillia Registered Senior Member

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    I like Texas Instruments. You can get a TI scientific calculator, or even a Casio, at WalMart. Just don't get the graphing ones. The TI-30 is about $10. My Casio fx-115ES is dual and it works fine off a desk light. I have a TI-30, a TI-BA II plus (financial), the Casio and a couple apps on the phone.

    They wanted us to use the HP ones when I attended Purdue, but trying to use the Reverse Polish Notation after using Polish Notation for 18 years seemed to be a pain.
     
  21. Dinosaur Rational Skeptic Valued Senior Member

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    The 50G is easy to use & takes only a few minutes to get used to stack calculations. Every person I have introduced it to has caught on almost immediately.

    It is often useful to see 3 or more values in the stack while you are solving some new problem.

    I do not understand your comment about Polish versus Reverse Polish. For expressing equations, there is little difference. For Stack computaitons, there is a world of difference. If you can find a Stack calculatior, you should give it a try.
     

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