🚀 go-pugleaf

In his article <1994Jan16.193355.27782@kakwa.ucs.ualberta.ca>,
Howard Cheng <hcheng@gpu.srv.ualberta.ca> wrote:

>I currently own a TI81.  I have been thinking about buying a TI85, would 
>someone please tell me the difference between the two?

     Briefly, TI-85 has more memory (more than ten times, actually), it
can solve systems of linear equations of size 30 by 30 (rather than
6 by 6), it is easier to program (it has constructs like if..then..else,
while...do etc.) and it can be connected to a computer (say, to print a
listing of a program). Needless to say, it is also more expensive ...

>Also, I dropped my TI81 a while ago and it was kind of broken.  Now, if I 
>shake the calculator really hard, the memory might get cleared.  Has 
>anyone else experienced similar situations?  If so, can you fix it?
>
     Try Crazy Glue ... :-) :-) . Seriously, assuming that your TI was
properly repaired, you may be experiencing a problem that a student of
mine had: she dropped her TI-81 and it wasn't "kind of broken" but it got
total "amnesia", so to speak -- all programs/data were erased. A closer
check showed that the batteries were somewhat loose, so that they had
a tendency to move. If the contact is lost. memory is erased, of course.
Putting pieces of cardboard/plastic under the cover seemed to help keep
batteries in their place.
      Just out of curiosity, why do you have to "shake the calculator
really hard" ?! There are easier ways to get (pseudo)random numbers :-).
      Hope this helps.                             Later,  Miroslav
-- 
 ***** Miroslav D. Asic, Dept. of Math., The Ohio State Univ. *****
 *****  masic@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu  or  asic.1@ohstmail  *****