HP 33S Scientific Calculator (F2216A)

If you are planning to take the electrical PE exam, be careful in using the HP33S for AC calculations. IT DOES NOT HAVE A MEANS TO EASILY DO PHASOR ARITHMETIC FOR AC CALCULATIONS. With the older 48G and 48GX models you could easily do vector arithmetic by directly putting in phasor quantities in terms of Magnitude and Angle. You could load as many of these onto the stack as typcially needed. With the HP33S, you have to do confusing dot product and cross product manipulations using a program. This is too time consuming and mistake prone for the PE Exam. This is expecially true if you are taking the POWER systems afternoon portion of the exam...

I've used my hp 33s relentlessly in school for over 3 years for surveying comps, physics, and geodesy. It's now on its third set of batteries. I have several other calculators: hp and ti, graphers, and scientifics, but this is the one I always have with me. The STO(re) button, the x^2, square root, power, x root, e^x, and LN functions are all located together and are available without having to press a shift button. That alone makes this calculator much faster to use. The built-in R>P and P>R functions and the two-line display allow you to work with both the x and y components of vectors simultaneously-another time saver. Yes, you enter an angle and then a distance, hit the >y,x button and boom! you've got y and x. You can sum components in the stat registers or on the stack with the CMPLX function. You can use the equation list with the SOLVE button to solve for any variable in an equation without having to isolate it beforehand. Store your own constants in the equation list explicitly or by having an expression to evaluate it automatically. For example, flattening for the GRS 80 ellipsoid is defined as 1÷298.257222101. Have this value available in a memory register by an assignment statement in the equation list (F=1÷298.257222101) and bring the equation up and press enter to send the computed value to the variable F. With the equation list, you can often avoid having to program because you can use a sequence of equations to simulate a program. You can find an equation of a line between two points with the linear regression function, get the correlation coefficient between two sets of values. Permutations, combinations, integer math, unit conversions are all available directly on the keyboard. Enter fractions by simply double-tapping the decimal point after entering the numerator, and, you can control the maximum value of the denominator with the /c button, so if you're adding up lengths of lumber in eighths and sixteenths, you get an answer in parts no smaller than sixteenths. You can program simple routines or interactive applications. For loops, while loops, and condition statements can be created. A simple program clears all the memory I need cleared between problems without having to do it manually. The same routine loads whatever physical constants I'm using then (physics). The topmost program on the program list will execute with only a press of the R/S button and this can be exploited to quickly and repeatedly execute a program or repeat an action, such as entering a long column of values needing a conversion before loading into the stat registers or easily computing x(t) and y(t) to get a sequence of the coordinates of a parametric function (particle or projectile motion). Using looping, you can create programs to compute iterative solutions.

The calculator comes with a real user manual containing several example programs that include coordinate transformations, curve fitting, solution of a system of 3 equations. Online, HP also has a library of short instructional aids (each a few pages long) that concentrate on individual problems and applications. There are also many third-party programs available.

Get one long before you need it for a test. It's much lighter than a grapher and can be used for a majority of all your calculating needs at school. Don't be swayed by those comparing the 33s to older HP scientifics. You can't buy them off the shelf now, so it's an illogical comparison. Its only comparison is the hp 35s, which is more powerful and favored by long-time HP users, but the 33s is definitely more accessible and usable out of the box. TI scientifics are fine if you don't have a use for automation. When you use it in RPN mode, this calculator eliminates a lot of computational drudgery.

It is complicated, so if you plan to use it for FE, buy it early in order to be familier with with it

this calc is alright once i got used to the keyboard layout. programmed, it helped me pass the LSIT test. it even converts #'s to a binary.

I have been using this calculator on an almost daily basis in an engineering company for more than 3 years. The 1st set of batteries lasted 1 year 4 months. I have just put in the second set of replacement batteries after another 2 years.

The readability of the display is not really an issue once you get used to it. I have the old version with larger number display, but closer together.

The silver casing is now becoming a bit scratched, but looks well used. The carry case does a good job in protecting the calculator.

I use the program facility for a few short (20 line) programs. Anything more complicated is easier on the computer.

It took a while to get used to the keyboard layout, but now seems intuitive. I certainly prefer the enter key in the bottom RH corner near the other main operators and the calculator has its own dedicated STO button (both unlike the HP 35S).

RPN mode is normally used, but it is easy to switch to algebraic mode to allow other people to borrow the calculator.

I do not need the complication of a graphing calculator. Anything more complicated can be done on a computer more easily.

A printed manual is included (unlike the HP 35S).

Overall, after more than 3 years use of this calculator, it has not let me down and with the recent price falls, I would certainly recommend it.