It's time for the Perculator! I mean, it's time for the calculator!

I have owned the Texas Instruments TI-30 XIIS Scientific Calculator since 1999 when I took College Algebra, and it still around, now it sits on my desk and helps me figure payroll once a week.

I remember buying this calculator either at Target or Wal-Mart and seems like it was around $15. It has a cover that can be removed and put on the back, and also a little cheat sheet card that helps you type in all the functions to do certain operations. This is a scientific calculator, not a graphing calculator, so if you need one of those, look elsewhere.

Here’s a little online info about this particular calculator:

2-Line LCD allows viewing of entry and result at the same time
View and Edit current and previous entries
5 variable memories - retains previous entries, Memory values, and individual statistical elements
See entries in convenient formula-script
2-Variable Statistics
Enter/delete/insert/edit individual statistical Data elements
Trig functions in degrees and radians
Fractions and Fraction/Decimal conversions
Degrees, Minutes, Seconds (for time calculations)
Decimal degree conversions
Common natural logarithms
Reciprocals and Factorials
Universal Powers and Roots
Polar/Rectangular conversions
Menus
User-friendly Keyboard with durable, plastic keys
Protective calculator shield

This calculator can perform Trigonometry, such as tangents, rectangular-polar conversions, probability combinations, statistics, and scientific notation. It can also perform square roots, x of square roots, sign and cosign functions, percents, and e to the x power and 10 x powers.

Now then, it’s been a while since I have done sign and cosign functions, but I can tell you it is easy to do on this calculator. You’ll see a yellow button on the left upper corner labeled 2nd. This button will help you do any of the functions written in yellow on the calculator. For example, if you need to do percentages, just push your number in, like 8 for example, and then push the 2nd key and then the percentage button, which also happens to be the ( button. Then do the rest of your problem, such as multiply it by two and hit the equal button and get your answer.

Another thing that is nice when doing a particularly long problem is the arrow keypad. You know sometimes when adding a bunch of numbers you accidentally hit the wrong key, but with this calculator you don’t have to clear out all of your numbers and start over, you can simply scroll over to your mistake and highlight the number, and when you have the flashing cursor over the number that is the mistake, you can push the correct number or just clear that number.
Also, with the memory this calculator has, you can go up and scroll through previous problems you did on it. Also, the two line display is great for those longer problems.

I mean, I have had this calculator since 1999 and it is still alive, and I really like this calculator. True, my husband hates it, but it does take a little while to get accustomed to all the functions on it, but I don’t think I could do without it doing payroll. If I ever had the need to buy another, I would buy another just like this one.

Once you figure out how to use it, you’ll find it invaluable, I would recommend it.