The HP Prime Is The King Calculator. Here's Why.

The HP Prime is a powerful mathematical modeler that fits in your pocket. It's thinner than an iPhone or about the same thickness as a Samsung S22 Ultra.

Of course, it begs the question – why get a calculator if your phone can do what it does, too?

It's true that we have access to great apps such as Wolfram, ChatGPT, Desmos, and other mathematical software. However, outside of being a student, a high-powered calculator doesn't seem to be much use.

But there's a commodity at a premium these days, which makes the investment worth it for our numberphilic community.

Focus.

That's right. When you pick up this calculator, you don't have incoming calls, texts, Slack messages, and other distracting notifications running in the background.  All you have is a high-powered calculator to explore your mathematical inquiries.

An undistracted expedition with numbers can begin with that commodity now within reach.

Key Features

There is so much competition in the calculator space. Texas Instruments (TI), Casio, Numworks, and many others produce great calculators.

So what about the HP Prime that has me addicted to it as a full-time freelance math instructor?  Let's explore.

Intuitive Input

The HP Prime has an intuitive input interface that focuses on ergonomics. The display uses a What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) interface, so there is no question whether you typed your mathematical expressions correctly.

A common mistake I see with students is incorrectly entering numbers in the denominator. In scientific calculators, this is fixed by using a set of parentheses before inputting the denominator, but most students forget to do that on tests and when they study alone.

The HP Prime makes it easy to know whether everything was input correctly. The calculator formats the operations on the left and produces the answer on the right, whether it's a number, algebraic expression, or variable values that make an equation true.

Computer Algebra System

The Computer Algebra System (CAS) is a program that handles algebraic expressions.  With built-in CAS, solving most algebraic expressions becomes child's play. 

Most major competitors have a CAS-based calculator, including the TI-Nspire CX CAS and Casio FX-CG-500. However, I've used them both and feel they lack features that the HP Prime houses.

The HP Prime's sheer number of options and lightning-fast speed make it different. The menus are stacked with functions across all disciplines of math. If the user is unsure how to use a function, they can hit the help button to get a full demo of its uses.

The CAS features are great for students in upper-level mathematics, including precalculus, calculus, differential equations, linear algebra, engineering mathematics, and more. 

Touchscreen

We're all used to touchscreen devices. Our phones, tablets, and specialized electronics, such as the HP Prime, are now modernized with touchscreen interfaces.

Navigating a calculator with only the buttons and enter key has been a consistent challenge for students as they hunt for the right combinations on the calculator.  The HP Prime adds a new functionality layer that decreases the required time to get results.

Where the touchscreen shines is with graphs.  Most students are used to manually reframing their graphs through a window module on other calculators.  With the HP Prime, you move around the graph with one finger and pinch in and out for zooming.

Did I mention the graphs are produced lightning-fast as well? It's true –– whether the graphs are 2D or 3D. The CAS produces them quickly, while the touchscreen will make exploring fun and engaging.

Dark Mode

Dear developers –– dark mode is a necessity in 2024!

We all know that. However, some companies have become complacent about developing their technologies because they don't believe they need to innovate. I won't call out any companies here, but if you know, you know.

Hewlett-Packard understands my frustration entirely.  This calculator was built for engineers and students who work long hours on problems and projects.

With dark mode, it's easy for students to use their calculators late at night without the unnecessary brightness produced by other backlit calculators.  All the colors adapt to dark mode to make them easy to look at and understand.

Built-In Apps

The HP Prime comes with over a dozen built-in apps, ranging from graphing simple functions to analyzing large datasets. The icons are also color-coded by type, making finding the app you're looking for easy.

While the apps that are built in will solve most problems, more can be downloaded from its website: https://www.hpcalc.org/prime/apps/

The Only Drawback

While the HP Prime has much to rave about, a drawback must be highlighted, particularly for students.

In short, the HP Prime is too powerful for some classes. 

Particularly, any Algebra II or the first half of Integrated Math II and below will not permit a calculator with a built-in CAS.  Some college instructors do not permit it, either.  The SAT/ACT and other standardized tests have also banned the HP Prime.

In these scenarios, other CAS calculators won't be permitted, either.  There is a way to disable the CAS System, but most proctors are not familiar enough with the HP Prime to allow it.

Therefore, it's best to have a cheap backup calculator to graph and run scientific functions when encountering these situations.

As always, check with your teachers and instructors to make sure you can use the HP Prime.  Most engineering classes permit it, but there will always be one or two who don't allow anything above a scientific calculator.

Excellent For School AND Industry

The HP Prime is a great calculator that will serve students well beyond their years. A well-equipped CAS calculator can make a major difference in class performance. When doing homework, having the ability to check calculations and solutions is a great advantage to ensure we're deploying mathematical concepts correctly.

Understandably, not every student will pursue a math-related career.  Like other calculators, it holds its value rather well, so they can resell and recoup most of their costs.

For the rest of us, it's a great tool to keep handy in the industry.  After all, learning math is not just reserved for the classroom. 

It's a lifelong expedition that is similar to learning a language.  The more we use it, the more comfortable we become with it.  Learn the basics first, then connect the dots to more advanced concepts.

In fact, I'm still exploring different features of it after several years.

I've used it with clients to sketch mathematical models of their situations in industry.  People are always asking questions about its capabilities.

The zen-like nature of a distraction-free numerical workstation is great for starting projects before they need to be transferred to a more powerful workstation for some deep analysis.

When it comes down to value, the HP Prime is certainly the best investment. The company builds computers, so this calculator runs more like a pocket computer than a regular calculator. 

No matter what your decision is for your professional path, you can say you had a pretty powerful calculator in your mathematical journey with HP Prime.