HP 50g Graphing Calculator

This is a review of the HP 50g Graphing Calculator by Hewlett Packard. If you are (or aspire to become) an engineer, mathematician, physicist, or physical chemist, then this is the calculator for you. Actually, this is not really a calculator: it is a hand-held math computer with a calculator-style human-machine interface. The capabilities of this math computer are mind boggling.Right up front, please note: the HP 50g is NOT allowed on the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam. If you want a calculator for the FE exam, try the HP 35S (HP 35s Scientific Calculator). Refer to the NCEES website (search for calculator policy).I have used Hewlett Packard calculators for years. While it is true that the HP 50g build-quality is not as robust as previous models, and while it is true that there have been some disappointing design changes, this calculator still amazes me. It is incredible that it sells for such a low price. By the way, my favorite calculator was my old HP 28S (too bad the case cracked at the battery door). I also have owned (and have extensively used) the HP 48 and the HP 49g+ (not to mention the HP 15 and HP 35).There is nothing wrong with Texas Instrument (TI) calculators. In fact, they are quite great. However, once you get used to the Reverse Polish Notation (RPN) of the HP 50g, you will be able to perform calculations much faster than with a TI. If you are still in high school, then you might want to check with your university before buying a calculator. Some college programs require (or endorse) a specific calculator model, and integrate use of that model in the course(s).The HP 50g is for folks who perform relatively high-level math. To use the capabilities of the HP 50g, you need to complete college calculus, vectors, differential equations, linear algebra, control theory, and statistics (and more). This calculator is ideal for college students who major in math, statistics, physics, chemistry, or engineering. Other users will NEVER use most of the functions of this calculator; in fact, most of the folks I know who own an HP 50g only use its most basic functions (what a waste). Unless you are going to use advance mathematics, then you might be happier with an HP 35S.This calculator has over 2300 built-in functions. While this is quite impressive, jamming so many functions into this calculator makes operating it much more challenging than (perhaps) it needs to be. Some of the handy features of the HP 50g include: the equation writer, the matrix writer, a constants library, an equation library, units conversion, interactive graphs, libraries, and (of course) programming (many folks share their programs free).It takes a very long time to learn how to use this calculator. In days of yore, Hewlett Packard would ship wonderful (spiral-bound) books with each calculator which explained in clear, perfect detail how to use each and every function. Such a manual for HP 50g would probably run 3000 pages and would surely double the price of the calculator. Hewlett Packard does provide three documents for the calculator: (1) a 184 page "User's Manual," and (2) an 887 page "User's Guide," and (3) a 693 page "Advanced User's Reference Manual." A hard-copy of the "User's Manual" might ship with the calculator; the "User's Guide" might be included on a CD included with the calculator. In any case, be sure to visit the Hewlett Packard website and download the latest (perhaps, corrected) copies of these manuals. While there, also download the latest USB driver for your operating system.After you first receive your new HP 50g, set aside an hour per day to learn how to use it. It will probably take you at least 100 hours (maybe 40 hours for the most important operations), even if you are already a math whiz. While HP no longer provides adequate training documents, you can find some good tutorials online. For example, search university websites (*.edu) for HP 50g tutorials (e.g., Thiel college). (Please note, the HP 49g is so similar, tutorials for the HP 49g will help you too.) Look on you tube for HP 50g tutorials (one fellow in particular has posted a series of great videos). Go through a textbook (one you've already completed, or one you are going to use next semester) and get practice entering equations and solving problems.If you have the cash, check out the following books by Gilberto Urroz: Science and Engineering Mathematics with the HP 49 G - Volume 1 (Gu) and Science and Engineering Mathematics with the HP 49 G - Volume II - Calculus, differential equations, statistics. They were not written specifically for the HP 50g, but the HP 49g and the HP 50g are almost identical. I bought both books. They are pretty good, but you should try out Volume I before you buy Volume II (just to make sure it meets your needs).Here are some extra items you should get at the time you buy this calculator:- At least two 1 GB or 2 GB SD cards.- A fresh CR2032 battery.- 8 rechargeable AAA batteries (and charger, if you don't have one).- A mini-B USB cable (if one is not provided with the calculator).Explanations:- An SD card (Transcend 2 GB SD Flash Memory Card (TS2GSDC)) can be installed in the bottom of the calculator. You can then backup your calculator to the SD card by copying files and entire directories to the card. Trust me: You MUST backup your calculator. You may eventually have hundreds of hours invested in storing equations and programs in your calculator; you do NOT want to lose all that hard work if your calculator loses power or if it is damaged or stolen. With the calculator backed up, you can easily restore your directories, equations, and programs (to a replacement calculator, if need be). You should have at least TWO SD cards, so you can have one installed, and one in a safe location. An SDHC card will NOT work, it must be an SD card (therefore, limited to 1 GB or 2 GB). Install this card on Day 1, and format it for FAT16 (not FAT32).- The calculator comes with a CR2032 battery; but I recommend installing a fresh (high capacity) battery on Day 1. This battery is used to backup the calculator's memory.- This calculator eats batteries. Do yourself a favor and buy two sets of rechargeable AAA batteries (8 total) Sanyo NEW 1500 eneloop 4 Pack AAA Ni-MH Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries. However, please note the following guidance from Hewlett Packard "The use of rechargeable batteries is not recommended because of their lower capacity and short low-battery warning."- A USB mini-B cable should come with the calculator (Connectivity Kit). If you need to buy a cable, then buy it NOW so you can connect your HP 50G to your computer. Go to the HP website, then download and install the latest HP 50g (USB) driver for your operating system. Search the web for a copy of the connectivity software (Conn4X) and install it. Search the web for instructions on how to establish communication between the HP 50g and the connectivity software. This will allow you to backup your HP 50g to your computer. Later, if need be, you can restore your calculator, or you can load the files to a new, different calculator. After you spend hundreds of hours loading equations and programs into your HP 50g, you really (really) want to have a backup. Also, if you have a USB cable, you can ensure power is maintained to the calculator during battery changes by plugging the calculator into a powered USB port.I repeat: Learn how to backup your HP 50g (to SD card, a computer, or both). If your calculator loses power or locks up and needs to be reset, you can restore all of your directories, equations, and programs from backup. Also, if your calculator is stolen, breaks, or fails, having a backup (on computer, or a safely-stored SD card) will allow you to reload your new (replacement) HP 50g just like the old one. Also, backups will allow you to transfer directories and their contents to a friend's HP 50g.Recommendations for Day 1 (i.e., when you first receive your HP 50g):- Change KEYTIME parameter to 1138 (some folks say, set KEYTIME to 500). If you don't do this, then the calculator may not accept repeating numbers if they are entered very quickly. For example, if you enter 111 very quickly, the calculator might only enter 1. Here's how: [ALPHA] [ALPHA] 1138 [RIGHT ARROW] -> KEYTIME [ENTER]. -> represents the character over the 0 key (press right-shift key, then 0). If you want a KEYTIME of 500, then substitute 500 (instead of 1138) in the above entry.- Find the you tube video for HP 50g setup (My Setup for the HP-50g) and watch it. Change your setup as you like (by using the MODE menu and by setting FLAGS).- Figure out how to set up directories (aka, folders). For example, if you are in college, you will probably want a different folder for each department, with sub-folders for each course, with (maybe) sub-sub-folders for each chapter. For goodness sake, do NOT enter all of your equations into the HOME directory. If you are a working engineer, then you might want a separate folder for each work order.- Go to Appendix B of the "User's Guide" and review the keyboard, paying particular attention to the key-functions that are NOT labeled on the calculator (this makes me SO mad!). For example, greek letters are not labeled, nor are the keys for angle (when in polar coordinates) or factorial (!). Likewise, all of the following are not labeled: edit function, SWAP function, switching between exact and approximate, switching between real and complex, entering equation editor for an equation on the stack. Also, I am very annoyed that the equation library and the constants library are not directly available from the keyboard (you must use the APPS key or the CAT key).- Discover functions available via the APPS key (column 1, row 2). Some of these functions are also available directly accessible via the keyboard (e.g., equation writer, matrix writer, math menu), but some are not (e.g., equation library and constants library).- Learn how to PURGE variables. In the past, Hewlett Packard calculators had a dedicated PURGE key; but now the PURGE function is (stupidly) hidden as a sub-menu item. If you do not know how to PURGE variables, then your directories will become hopelessly cluttered with old, discarded variables.Hewlett Packard also makes emulators for all of their calculators that can simulate the calculator on a computer. You tube has tutorial videos for the HP 50g that illustrate use of such an emulator. I also use several computer-based programs that you might want to check out: Mathematica, Stella, and SAS.I have written this review with the college student in mind; but (obviously) this calculator is also ideal for professional engineers and scientists.Update (12/11/12): Also check out The HP 50g Calculator Tutor (Hewlett Packard).

The HP-50g Graphing Calculator is a great product once user understands RPN. To facilitate this education, please purchase the HP-50g Tutor Book and DVD (extremely helpful) available from Amazon. This calculator has the 100% correct feeling at the keyboard buttons. The HP-50g has just the right tactile feel and resistance and keyboard buttons does not contribute to finger numbness over time. The HP-50g has more science and engineering functions and more graphing features than many TI and Casio graphing calculators that are also higher in cost. The HP-50g graphing calculator is one of very few calculators capable of accurately sketching three-dimensional graphs. This is a perfect calculator for Reverse Polish Notation and Reverse Polish LISP programming of the very large, long, and tedious mathematical equations. The RPN format helps the user to get that answer faster and that answer can be given in more than one way without re-entering the equation! The Texas Instruments TI-89 Titanium and their TI Nspire CX CAS graphing calculators cause the user to "navigate" menus to seek out that single elusive function. At times, the TI user is loss between the keyboard buttons as the layout is not that intuitive. With the HP-50g the key buttons legend are printed with poor contrasting color background, but at least the user will easily find and access the features in a more intuitive way because of HP's layout and consistent key button scheme from generation to generation habits. User programming on TI calculators remind one of the days of the TI-55 II where the user must make entries with Algebraic entry system (more like BASIC computer programming language). User programming the old TI-55 II step by forgetful step (ah gee where am I), was it at step 09-22 or was it 22-90. The HP-50g is more user friendly for me even though this is just my second RPN calculator. User accessibility is crucial for technical fields. HP-50g makes it practical and visually easy in a gray scale display that does not distract the user with all the menus and colors.From the technical side, the HP-50g is a superior calculator with a ARM Holdings(UK) HP licensed ARM-9 203 MegaHertz de-clocked to run at 75 MegaHertz for compatibility to running legacy HP-48/49/50 software. The user can run older programs from the previous generation HP calculators. The HP-50g has a system BIOS that is user upgradeable. This is the Pilot's choice for quick complex digital mathematics. This is also the automotive designer's electro mechanical engine analyst. HP-50g's user programming support has no peer, and behaves better than most calculators. Been deploying and implementing calculators since A.D.1974 and the HP-50g has more user access to the firmware and hardware of the product than any other computation instrument in the handheld calculator market.For the practical user that wants to just run the HP-50g in everyday engineering, scientific, and advanced math equations at work, this calculator is more than sufficient for any task. Friends ask about it, family members want to trade their calculators for this HP-50g product, and professional folks want even more from this product. The other brands of new graphing calculators also have a long learning curve. Today there are computers and mobile devices that also perform a few of the 2,300 functions of a HP-50g calculator, not do it well. This is one dedicated, compatible, reliable, accessible, and affordable Engineer-Scientist-Mathematician-Three Dimensional Graphing calculator. This is a quantum leap away from even the fabled and legendary calculators of the previous generations. There is no other calculator that comes a "distance second place".The HP-50g Engineering, Scientific, Advanced Mathematics, Three Dimensional Graphing calculator works well like a vintage reliable Breitling Pilot Chronometer, like an accurate Fluke Multimeter, like a precision Tectronix eight channel oscilloscope with digital capture, like a forward looking Celestron Schdmit-Cassegrain 14inch folded lens telescope, and it becomes the best part of a professional toolkit like the Leatherman Wingman titanium and cubic pilot's pocket knife. The HP-50g calculator is the dedicated all purpose fast calculating device for the poly-disciplined technical professional.The HP-50g calculator is easy enough to learn that family members have permanently burrowed this new purchase. Will now need to order another HP-50g calculator. This product is superior to family's HP-19b II+, HP-48SX, TI Voyager 200, TI-98, TI-92, TI BA-II Pro, TI-89 Titanium, TI Nspire CX-CAS, HP Prime, Casio Prism, Casio FX-9860 II+, HP-12C, and certainly easier to learn then Mathematica, Maple, and MathCAD. Absolutely taken the HP-50g calculator along for the projects and to the job sites.