"What is a TI-Nspire?"
A TI-Nspire, or a Texas Instruments - Nspire, is a graphical calculator. More specifically, when you hear students refer to the TI-Nspire, 9 times out of 10 they are referring to the CX model, which is astoundingly allowed in exams. Yes, it can do a lot for you, but it can also be very gruelling to learn how to use it - most of the tutorials online are either ancient and unclear, or simply just irrelevant. This is why I have created this section on the site - to teach you how to use it.
"Great! I'll just buy one now..."
Well. That's the thing - these monstrous instruments cost a hefty amount; between £85 and £110, depending when you buy it. Is it worth it? If it will push you up a grade, then sure, but I'm not sure that this will be the case for everyone. What most people overlook, is that the TI is a "checking" tool more so than a "doing" tool. You won't get rewarded working-out marks for shoving your calculation in your TI and writing down the answer - especially not at A-Level. This means that, if you don't know how to do a question, your TI isn't just a get-out-of-jail-free card - and so what's the point?
People buy these TI's, so there obviously is a point. For example, it can provide working out for some topics, but you still have to have knowledge about said topics to carry out the calculations (for example, the Chi-square test). From what I have gathered after speaking to professional teachers and university graduates who have studied Mathematics - there really is no need to have a TI. However, I will say that if you are studying Further Pure 2 or 3 then having a TI is beneficial at this point. This means that I recommend A2 Further Maths students to purchase one, though I am aware this may not be in the budget of some of those students. You're not missing out on much.
A TI-Nspire, or a Texas Instruments - Nspire, is a graphical calculator. More specifically, when you hear students refer to the TI-Nspire, 9 times out of 10 they are referring to the CX model, which is astoundingly allowed in exams. Yes, it can do a lot for you, but it can also be very gruelling to learn how to use it - most of the tutorials online are either ancient and unclear, or simply just irrelevant. This is why I have created this section on the site - to teach you how to use it.
"Great! I'll just buy one now..."
Well. That's the thing - these monstrous instruments cost a hefty amount; between £85 and £110, depending when you buy it. Is it worth it? If it will push you up a grade, then sure, but I'm not sure that this will be the case for everyone. What most people overlook, is that the TI is a "checking" tool more so than a "doing" tool. You won't get rewarded working-out marks for shoving your calculation in your TI and writing down the answer - especially not at A-Level. This means that, if you don't know how to do a question, your TI isn't just a get-out-of-jail-free card - and so what's the point?
People buy these TI's, so there obviously is a point. For example, it can provide working out for some topics, but you still have to have knowledge about said topics to carry out the calculations (for example, the Chi-square test). From what I have gathered after speaking to professional teachers and university graduates who have studied Mathematics - there really is no need to have a TI. However, I will say that if you are studying Further Pure 2 or 3 then having a TI is beneficial at this point. This means that I recommend A2 Further Maths students to purchase one, though I am aware this may not be in the budget of some of those students. You're not missing out on much.
A TI-Nspire CX model
