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- From: b645zjo@utarlg.uta.edu (Rick Homard)
- Subject: TI85 and HP48 compared
- NewsSoftware: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41
- Message-ID: <1992Aug14.205939.15318@utagraph.uta.edu>
- Organization: The University of Texas at Arlington
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- Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1992 20:58:00 GMT
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- Lines: 330
-
- Hello to all interested in knowing how the TI85 compares with the
- HP48.
-
- This is a (non comprehensive) comparison of the HP48S and the TI85
- available features and commands.
-
- ==========================================================================
-
- Due to the way both machines are designed and how they operate here are
- some 'obvious' differences.
-
- Because the HP48 supports a stack and the TI85 does not, all commands
- pertaining to stack manipulation or decomposing objects on the stack
- on the HP48 will not have an equivalent on the TI85.
-
- The HP48 supports symbolic algebra and the TI85 does not.
- Therefore all commands pertaining to algebraic manipulation will not
- have an equivalent on the TI85.
-
- The TI85 does not support a printer and the HP48 does.
-
- Also the HP48 supports customization by allowing the user to make key
- assignments. The TI85 does not support this feature, although you can
- assign an "object" to a CUSTOM menu limited to 15 entries...much like
- the HP42S.
-
- Although the TI85 does support I/O via a phonojack interface and at one
- baud rate, it does not have the rich set of instructions which the HP48
- possesses. I do not know if you can edit the downloaded objects on a
- PC or develop a program on a PC and download it to the TI85. The
- interface has not been put on the market yet. Although a phonojack
- interface cable is supplied with each TI85 to interface two TI85
- together.
-
- The HP48 supports a clock and the TI85 does not.
-
- The HP48 supports flags and the TI85 does not.
-
-
- Character Strings
-
- The TI85 only supports the commands which finds the size of a string,
- substitutes a portion of a string, and conversion of an equation to a
- string and visa versa.
-
- The HP48 supports additional commands like:
- AND, OR, XOR, POS, REPL, NUM, NOT, CHR, and concatenation of strings.
-
- Computer Math
-
- The TI85 supports all boolean operators. In addition there are commands
- which: rotate/shift right/left by one bit and conversion between bases.
-
- The HP48 supports all boolean operators, rotate/shift right/left of one
- bit/byte, setting wordsize, 1 bit arithmetic shift right.
-
-
-
- Solve Applications
-
- Both machines have solve applications. There is an unusual limitation
- on the TI85 solve application. It cannot find complex solutions,
- only real solutions. Not good.
- The TI85 has the graphing commands also available in the SOLVE environment.
-
-
- Hyperbolics and Logarithmic Functions
-
- Both machines support the standard hyperbolic and logarithmic functions.
- The HP48 supports additional commands which are not on the TI85.
- These are: ACOSH, ASINH, ATANH, EXPM, and LNP1
-
-
- Matrices
-
- The TI85 has *ALL* of the capabilities of the HP48 *PLUS* quite a bit more.
- A limitation on the TI85: largest matrix can be 256X256. But if you are
- doing work on a matrix that large, you should be using a math package on
- a desk computer (my opinion).
-
- The TI85 can also calculate eignvalues, eignvectors, column norms,
- cond (which returns the condition number of a square matrix),
- LU (which performs lower/upper decomposition on the matrix),
- fill (which stores a value to every element in an existing matrix),
- augment (which concatenates two matrices...the rows must be the same size),
- randM (which creates a matrix with random integer (9 to 9) elements).
-
- You can also redimension a matrix with one command.
-
- There are also elementary row operations like:
- ref (returns the row echelon form of a real or complex matrix)
- rref (returns the reduced row echelon form of a real/complex matrix)
- rSwap (swaps two rows)
- rAdd (adds two rows)
- multR (multiplies two rows)
- MRAdd (multiply and add row).
-
- For complex matrices there are the commands:
- real (returns a real matrix containing the real portion of each element)
- imag (returns a real matrix containing the complex portion of each element)
- abs (returns a real matrix containing the absolute value of each element)
- angle (returns a real matrix containing the polar angle of each element)
-
-
- Vectors
-
- Both machines support the same commands.
-
-
- Memory Management
-
- The TI85 does not support directories and the HP48 does; therefore,
- the HP48 has a richer set of commands.
- The TI85 is limited to finding the amount of RAM memory is free and
- a catalog of "objects" to delete.
-
-
- Plotting and Graphing
-
- The TI85 plots a bit faster than the HP48.
-
- The HP48 supports conic plotting. The TI85 does not have an equivalent
- command although it can be done by plotting the two individual equations
- (obviously).
- The TI85 supports histogram and scatter plot types. The HP48 supports
- these in addition to barplot and truth plot types.
-
- Both machines support line drawing commands (ie: draw lines, circles,
- boxes on a plotted graph).
-
- The TI85 has better and more zooming features.
-
- The TI85 has a DiffEq mode of plotting which allows the user to plot
- graphs in terms of "t".
-
-
- Both machines allow you to save plots.
-
-
- Program Branching
-
- Both machines support the commands:
- IF, THEN, ELSE, END, FOR, REPEAT, WHILE.
-
- The HP48 also supports:
- CASE, DO, IFERR, IFT/IFTE, NEXT, START, STEP, UNTIL
-
- The structure of the TI85 is much like that of the old HP41 where you
- have GOTOs and RETURNs.
-
-
- Program Control
-
- Both machines allow you to prompt for input, although the HP48 allows
- for more control for input.
- Both machines have a "GETKEY" equivalent.
- The HP48 supports a debugger. The TI85 does not have this capability.
-
-
- Program Test
-
- All the same with the exception of flag testing on the HP48.
-
-
- Statistics and Probability
-
- The HP48 has the following features over the TI85:
-
- Curve fitting for linear, logarithmic, power, and exponential statistical
- models.
-
- Chi square, F test, Normal, Students t test probabilities.
-
-
- Storage Arithmetic
-
- The TI85 does not support storage arithmetic.
-
- Trigonometric Commands
-
- All the same.
-
- Units
-
- Both machines support unit conversions, although the TI85 does not
- support tagged units.
-
- Units for the TI85 are:
-
- Length
- mm, cm, m, in, ft, yd, km, mile, nmile, light year, mil, Angstrom,
- fermi, rod, fathom
-
- AREA
- ft^2, m^2, mi^2, km^2, acre, in^2, cm^2, yd^2, hectare
-
- VOL
- liter, gal, qt, pt, oz, cm^3, in^3, ft^3, m^3, cup, tsp, tbsp, ml,
- galUK, ozUK
- (more than what the HP48 supports)
-
-
- TIME
- sec, mn, hr, day, yr, week, ms, microsec, nanosec
-
- TEMP
- C, F, K, R
-
- MASS
- gm, kg, lb, amu, slug, ton, mton
-
- FORCE
- N, dyne, tonf, kgf, lbf
-
- PRESSURE
- atm, bar, N/m^2, mmHg, mmH^2, inHg, inH2O
-
- ENERGY
- J, cal, Btu, ft_pd, kw_hr, eV, erg, l_atm
-
- POWER
- hp, W, ft_lb/s, Btu/m,
-
- SPEED
- ft/s, m/s, mi/hr, km/hr, knot
-
-
- The HP48 supports all of these (exception of the VOLUME) plus many more.
-
-
- Unit Management
-
- Not supported on the TI85.
-
-
-
- Misc
-
- The TI85 has some features and commands not found on the HP48 (although
- they are readily available via Goodies Disks).
-
- The TI85 has:
- gcd = greatest common divisor
- lcm = least common multiple
-
- =========
-
- The TI85 can solve simultaneous equations (30 unknown maximum). Indeed
- the HP48 can do this also but it does not have a user interface to do it
- from. A nice feature but slow when solving anything larger than 15 unknowns.
-
- ============
-
- The TI85 also has a built in polynomial root finder (order =< 30). A nice
- interface but the root finder is terribly slow when the order of the
- polynomial is large.
- I compared the TI85's root finder with the HP48 (using the root finding
- program supplied by Bill Wickes on the net). The results are incredible.
- The same 30th order polynomial was input to each machine. The HP48 found
- all of the roots in 80 seconds. I stopped the TI85 after 15 minutes.
- It is obvious that the TI85 gets heavily labored when required to perform
- at its limits.
-
- =========
-
- The TI85 can also do sequences of sums or products. I know that the HP48
- can do summation sequences but I don't believe that has the (built in)
- capability of doing sequences of products.
-
- ========
-
- The TI85 has the "real number to fraction" function as the HP48. One thing
- of difference between the two machines is that the HP48 will make a fraction
- regardless if exact or an approximation. The TI85 will not give a fraction
- if it is not exact.
-
- =========
-
- The TI85 has a pEval function. You give it a list of coefficients from
- a polynomial and an argument and it will return the evaluated result.
- This is the same thing which can be found in Wayne Scott's polynomial
- routines for the HP48.
-
- =========
-
- The TI85 has an interpolation environment. You provide two known pairs
- of data ( (x1,y1) and (x2,y2) ) and one known, either x or y and it will
- calculate the unknown.
-
- ===========
-
- One very nice feature of the TI85 is the use of lists in equations.
- I will give you an example to explain how this works.
- If you plot this equation:
-
- { 1, 2, 3, 4 } SIN (X)
-
- you will get four graphs, one with an amplitude of 1, another with an
- amplitude of 2, etc.
- This list can be included anyplace in an equation.
-
- =========
-
- The TI85 does not have the commands CEIL and FLOOR.
-
- =========
-
-
- The TI85 performs some fudging (rounding, et al) on calculations.
-
- Examples:
-
- 0.333333333333 * 3 = 1
- and
- sin (3.14159265359) = 0
-
- ==========
-
- The TI85 also performs numerical integration and differentiation in the
- graphical environment.
-
- ===========
-
- Well that's all I have for now. If anybody has anything to add please
- notify me so I will know as well.
-
-
- Rick Homard
-
-