Moravia, understandably, want to 'big-up' the Prime.DA74254 wrote: ↑Wed Jun 07, 2023 7:45 pmhttp://www.hp-prime.de/en/category/10-programming
Back when the Prime was launched PPL was decribed as “takes cues from pascal”.
Moravia, understandably, want to 'big-up' the Prime.DA74254 wrote: ↑Wed Jun 07, 2023 7:45 pmhttp://www.hp-prime.de/en/category/10-programming
If I were just at the start of my career and going into physics, I believe I would want two calculators:fra04 wrote: ↑Tue Jun 06, 2023 6:01 pmThank you very much Bill, and also the others who answered my questions. Sorry, but I could write this post only now, because I was quite busy the previous weeks, due to the many school tests I had. Thank you Bill for telling me your experience, which I found very useful to understand a little bit what I'm going to do next year. I believe that hearing former students' experiences can be really helpful for future ones!
Now, I've seen dm32 is just came out, and, despite its fewer programming capabilities, it costs even more than dm42. So the choice is likely between hp 15c and dm42. By searching in university's website I found the list of the exams I'll take. As you wrote before, numeric calculations will be quite simple, so hp 15c should be enough. But, given the price of 129,99 euros plus shipping costs, well, is it really worth it? I would not want to buy the revival of an old calculator, which was created especially for collectors, but a good, new calculator. That is my fear. What do you think about?
I would have also another question: I'm really interested in RPN calculators, so I could also spare some more money to buy the dm42, which, I'm sure, I would spend the entire summer holidays on (if I bought it). I know, the second one is far better in programming, but what could I do with a dm42 which I could not on hp 15c? Could you give me some examples?
Thank you Bill! I agree with you, buying two different calculators for different purposes is certainly the best choice to make! I'll buy the grab-and-go calculator before, and the HP Prime after the first classes, because the first one is IMO the most necessary.Bill K. - USA wrote: ↑Fri Jun 09, 2023 4:00 pmIf I were just at the start of my career and going into physics, I believe I would want two calculators:fra04 wrote: ↑Tue Jun 06, 2023 6:01 pmThank you very much Bill, and also the others who answered my questions. Sorry, but I could write this post only now, because I was quite busy the previous weeks, due to the many school tests I had. Thank you Bill for telling me your experience, which I found very useful to understand a little bit what I'm going to do next year. I believe that hearing former students' experiences can be really helpful for future ones!
Now, I've seen dm32 is just came out, and, despite its fewer programming capabilities, it costs even more than dm42. So the choice is likely between hp 15c and dm42. By searching in university's website I found the list of the exams I'll take. As you wrote before, numeric calculations will be quite simple, so hp 15c should be enough. But, given the price of 129,99 euros plus shipping costs, well, is it really worth it? I would not want to buy the revival of an old calculator, which was created especially for collectors, but a good, new calculator. That is my fear. What do you think about?
I would have also another question: I'm really interested in RPN calculators, so I could also spare some more money to buy the dm42, which, I'm sure, I would spend the entire summer holidays on (if I bought it). I know, the second one is far better in programming, but what could I do with a dm42 which I could not on hp 15c? Could you give me some examples?
--One to grab and go, for everyday calculations: square roots, trig, polar/rect conversions, complex numbers, exponents and logs, hyperbolic, radian to degree conversions, h.ms to h.d, standard deviations on small data sets, and some simple programming for quick-and-dirty tests (like running a small program 100 times: just 10 to 40 lines), finding the zeroes of functions numerically and doing some numerical integration.
--The HP Prime: for using its CAS solving ability, for collecting experimental data in its spreadsheet and numerical analysis, for graphing 2D and 3D plots, for doing matrices.
A few considerations:
--Why not just one calculator? Because the grab-and-go calculator won't have all the overhead of far advanced calculators to mess with: it can be optimized for keypress operation--quick and easy. Sure, the HP Prime can do everything a grab-and-go calculator can, but I much prefer the simplicity of my HP-15C when doing the first type of calculations. (I have a Swiss Army knife, but I rarely lug it with me: a smaller pocketknife would be preferred the vast majority of the time.)
--You're at the start of your career, so you want calculator lines that'll be available across your working career. This goal would pull me more toward Swiss Micros, the HP Prime, and TI calculators lines, and away from the no-longer-being-built HP calculators.
--How important is RPN? I love it for the grab-and-go calculator, but I don't think it's necessary with the Prime-level calculator. (And you can live without it, if you had to. Everyone on this forum is biased toward RPN--and with reason IMO--but many other calculator users dislike it.)
For the Prime-level calculator, RPN is much less important: you're basically using the apps, and I've found RPN doesn't really work well with CAS functions anyway. So the TI-Nspire CX II CAS is another option, but its screen isn't touch, and its keys aren't as nice, so I'd opt for the Prime.
For the grab-and-go calculator, that's where the choice isn't as clear. I love the HP-15C myself, but a more modern choice would give you more features, such as a multi-line display and better programming features. The two obvious RPN options for this niche are the DM32 and the DM42/WP43/C47.
I don't have the DM32 and I'm not familiar with it at all, but I know it's still being updated. I would want to know how long until its future features are fully implemented, how the final programming process will work, how long until the manual is fully updated, etc.
Regarding the DM42/WP43/C47, I have these thoughts:
--The DM42 I find a little opaque, as its functions are buried. (Go to https://www.swissmicros.com/products and look at the DM32, DM42, and DM15L images--see how in the first and last, you see all these functions listed right there on the keys--but not as many on the DM42.)
--The WP43 requires stickers on the keys, and it's not finished yet, but it does have thorough documentation.
--The C47 doesn't require stickers just a printable template, is more customizable for the user than the WP43 is, it's not finished yet, and its documentation is lacking.
C47 small.jpg
A year or more from now, I think the DM32 (features all implemented, documentation finished) and C47 (documentation, purchasable templates, code further along) will be much improved, but at the moment it's IMO a tough choice, the HP-15C/DM15L/WP43 also being very valid options.
If I were cash limited, I'd either get the grab-and-go calculator now and buy the Prime-type calculator in a year or so, or I'd just get the Prime and try to make it work as my grab-and-go calculator as well (and maybe buying a cheap $20-$30 non-RPN calculator for grab-and-go calculations if I couldn't).
You have a lot of options, which is a good thing. (You could even wait and survey your fellow students to see what choices they made and why.)
Good luck to you!
Getting the DM-42 (which, yes, I do own and like) gives you two choices, you can keep it as a DM42 or flash it to the C47 (or WP43). (Or flash it back to a DM42, etc.)fra04 wrote: ↑Sat Jun 17, 2023 11:15 pmYou gave me different possibilities for the first type of calculator, and I'm really interested in DM42, which you own, if I remember correctly. I would flash it to C47, which seems a valid option. I've seen the launch video linked in the official website, and I found out that second-shift functions can be selected by double-clicking the yellow button on DM42. Obviously, I trust Swissmicros and the reliability of its keyboard, but I would have a question: could this action wear the button in a shorter period of time?
There is a third option: flash it to a WP34S, no overlay or key stickers needed. Nigel has done a great job of mapping the WP34S functions to existing DM42 keys and menus (see the Quick Ref Guide for the menu details).Bill K. - USA wrote: ↑Sun Jun 18, 2023 4:36 amGetting the DM-42 (which, yes, I do own and like) gives you two choices, you can keep it as a DM42 or flash it to the C47 (or WP43).
Thank you for your advice! This also seems a very good option!dlachieze wrote: ↑Thu Jun 22, 2023 11:21 pmThere is a third option: flash it to a WP34S, no overlay or key stickers needed. Nigel has done a great job of mapping the WP34S functions to existing DM42 keys and menus (see the Quick Ref Guide for the menu details).Bill K. - USA wrote: ↑Sun Jun 18, 2023 4:36 amGetting the DM-42 (which, yes, I do own and like) gives you two choices, you can keep it as a DM42 or flash it to the C47 (or WP43).