Casio FX-83GTX Scientific Calculator, Black

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A whole number will lead to menu options including prime factor decomposition, for example, while a decimal or fraction such as 2.5 can make use of sexagesimal conversion, to display a time value of 2h 30′ 0″. It not only allows you to take a calculated value and represent the answer in either standard or decimal format, but also alternatively as an improper or mixed fraction. So students can calculate 9÷7, for example, and use the ‘Format’ key to display the answer as 9⁄7, 1 2⁄7 or 1.286 to 3d.p. Crucially, the design and key layout of the updated fx-83/85GT CW and fx-991 CW models is identical, with only a few differences in labelling. The fx-991 CW is the minimum requirement for A-level maths, so students making the step up in year 12 will benefit from already being familiar with the fx-83/85GT CW. As well as making life easier and enabling more intuitive learning for students, this can be a big classroom time-saver for teachers. Gone are the days of having to explain how certain functions are accessed through a sequence of key presses. Now, you can encourage students to delve into the menu and see what they can find for themselves.

From the comments I’ve seen on social media from other Maths teachers, I’m far from alone in having a strong preference for the older Classwiz fx-83/85GT X and 991EX models over these new CW calculators. Casio doesn’t appear to have done much field testing of the new models before launching them on the world! Texas Instruments also produces a range of scientific calculators. Any of these – most of which start with TX-30 – are suitable for GCSE, though if you like to be able to enter your fractions as fractions then you’ll need one of the Multiview models. However, Casio pretty much has a stranglehold on the UK market and not many institutions promote the use of TI models. Until the current GCSE and A-level specifications came in (2015 and 2017 respectively), the standard calculator in most English schools for both GCSE and A-level for a good few years had been the Casio fx-83GT Plus – or the fx-85GT Plus, which was exactly the same except that it had a solar panel as well as battery power. In short, the new CW calculators are a lot more complicated to use than the older X models, and don’t offer any significant improvements that I can see.

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For more information on what calculators are permissible in exams, take a look at my Clueless about Calculators blog post. Finally, a colour warning Another one that’s been brought to my attention: the functionality of the button has been changed so that it no longer “attaches” itself to the preceding number. It’s not actually wrong but it’s a change that will be very confusing for many students! Remember I mentioned that a graphical calculator is much more complex to operate than a scientific one? The CW models have narrowed that gap considerably – and not in a good way!

The large Natural Textbook Display shows mathematical expressions like roots and fractions as they appear in your textbooks which increases comprehension because results are easier to understand. The A-level models have additional functions such as solving quadratics and simultaneous equations which can be useful at GCSE too, as well as Statistics functions that you don’t need until A-level. So if there’s any chance of you continuing with Maths beyond GCSE then it’s a worthwhile investment. (You’ll probably need it if you do Core Maths too, though it does depend on which board and which modules you study. It – or an equivalent – is certainly required for the Statistical Techniques option on the AQA spec.) That is brand new functionality, and it’s really nice because it enables teachers and students to do a lot more on the handset and to understand a lot more,” Simon said. Format key This lets students discover their calculator in a way that they will already be familiar with from other electronic devices that have menu structures. Once they know that every feature is either labelled on the keys as before or listed in the new menu, students can freely explore their device to see what it can do.A significant addition to Casio’s scientific calculators is the Function key, which offers the ability to define two functions as before, but also to manipulate and evaluate these functions in several different modes. On previous handsets, it was only possible to define and evaluate functions in this way within Table. Some schools and colleges required, and some still require, their A-level students to buy more expensive graphical calculators – calculators that can plot graphs on their screens, such as the CG50 – since these are often perceived to give the student an advantage. This may well have been true in the past, but the exam boards have got wise and nowadays exam questions are carefully worded so that the possession of a graphical calculator doesn’t give the candidate a significant advantage. We asked mathematician Simon May for his thoughts on the key features and advantages of the new ClassWiz series. More intuitive navigation A major change that has been implemented with the new CW ClassWiz range is the introduction of a new menu structure to access functions. While common functionality, such as the trigonometric functions sin, cos and tan, still have their own dedicated keys, many other features – including functional analysis, probability and conversion – are now listed in a menu accessed via the new Catalog key.

With Casio’s ClassWiz range of scientific calculators recently getting a significant redesign, it seems like the perfect time to talk about what these upgraded models can do and the benefits they offer for teachers and students alike. Our nominated carrier is Parcel Force. Deliveries are made Monday – Friday between 9.00am – 6.00pm (excluding Bank Holidays).If you require any further information relating to the Delivery service used, please call us at +44 (0)20 8208 9567. As for the question of when is the best time to introduce the new ClassWiz range to particular year groups, we know teachers will always be the best-placed to answer this. You know your students, their learning patterns and how well they respond to different methods in the classroom. The Format key is another useful improvement to the ClassWiz range, replacing the S↔D (standard to decimal) button found on previous handsets. The standard GCSE model in the UK for the past seven or eight years has been the Casio Classwiz fx-83/85GT X (centre in the image), though in early 2023 Casio brought out the fx-83/85GT CW, which is very different and which has replaced the GT X (despite a poor reception from UK Maths teachers). More on that in this blog post. The new A-level specification required the candidate to use a calculator featuring certain statistical functions that the GCSE model didn’t have, so the new standard model for A-level was the Classwiz fx-991EX. This also included some additional functions to help with solving equations, so it could be useful for GCSE too.