The Sharp Calculator School Range

What Calculator Does My Child Need?

Shopping for a calculator can be tough. What should your child use and when should they graduate to a scientific calculator? Here are some answers for those questions:

Grade 3 to 6

Students in grade 3 to 6 can use the SHARP EL231. A simple calculator with all the important keys – square root, plus or minus sign and percentage button (Great for parents too).

Students in primary school can also use the Sharp S25 Junior Quiz calculator. This calculator allows you to practice your mental maths by asking questions and waiting for you to answer them. The calculator will then mark them correct and give a new question, or mark it incorrect and repeat the question. You can also ask the calculator to show the answer by leaving the answer blank and pressing equals. In this way, you are actively learning from your mistakes. At the end of each drill you will get your mark and percentage. You have an option of 25, 50 or 100 questions. And you can choose between addition (0 – 20 plus 0 – 20), subtraction (opposite of addition), multiplication ( 0 – 12 times 0 – 12), division (oppostite of multiplication but without dividing by zero) or a mix of all four of these options. You can also use the S25 to practice counting in different multiples between 1 and 12.

Grade 6 to Grade 9

The all new SHARP EL-W535SA scientific calculator is the perfect scientific calculator and is approved by the department of education. This calculator has 4 different modes: – Normal, Statistics, Drill and Table. Normal mode has new features such as highest common factor, lowest common multiple, a Home button, and an integer divide button (perfect for teaching long division as it gives you the quotient and remainder of the sum). It has a Write View screen, which means that you can type any calculation into the calculator as you see it in the textbook. It also has a random function, an easy to use percentage key, and a shortcut to find the hypotenuse of a right angled triangle. Statistics mode is super easy to use with summary screens of all your needed statistic values.

Drill mode allows the student to practice their basic maths calculations. There are two options in Drill mode: Math and Table. Math practices either addition, subtraction, multiplication, division or all four operations in one set of questions. You can also choose between 25, 50 or 100 questions. Drill Table mode practices a particular set of times tables in either serial order or randomly mixed. The calculator will mark each question and will give a total at the end of the question set as well the percentage of answers correct just like the S25 does.

Finally, Table mode allows the learner to put in any two equations and the calculator gives back coordinate pairs which allows the student to draw a graph. Table mode can also be used to find factor pairs, to find the asymptotes of graphs, and for teaching compound and simple interest. Because the table is unlimited students are able to access a wider range of values on the graph.

Grade 10 to 12 Mathematics

Grade 10 to 12 students can also use the SHARP EL-W535SA calculator. Some extra features include an easy to use log button, permutations, combinations and factorial buttons. The asymptote in table mode is displayed as a dotted line (——-) so that students are not confused about what it is. Data stored in the statistics mode remains saved in the statistics mode so that students can access it at a later stage. All previous calculations are also stored so that if the calculator is switched off and then on again the calculation will still be on the screen. Previous calculations can be accessed by pressing the up arrow key.The Home button also allows students to quickly get back to the Normal calculation mode from any other mode.

Another great calculator for mathematics students and advanced maths students is the SHARP EL-W506T scientific calculator.

It has 640 functions and 9 different modes: Normal, Statistics, Table, Complex, Equation, Matrix, Vector, Distribution and Drill . Normal, Statistics, Table and Drill are the same modes as in the SHARP EL-W535SA calculator, with the exception that in normal mode you can now also differentiate at a point, integrate over an interval, find the sum or multiplicand of a series, do conversions (44) and use constants (52). Complex mode allows calculations with complex numbers using either rectangular or polar coordinates. Matrix mode allows calculations involving matrices, and using the MATH key to find the determinant or to transpose the matrix.

Equation mode allows the input of either two two-variable or three variable linear equations to solve simultaneously, or to put in a quadratic or cubic equation and solve for their roots. Vector allows vector calculations with cross and dot products. The distribution mode allows you to find the t value or probility for the normal, binomial and poisson distribtions.

Students studying further in Accounting

SHARP also has a wonderful financial calculator that is intuitively easy to use. The SHARP EL-738XTB financial calculator has two modes: Normal and Statistics. In normal mode financial calculations, normal calculations and scientific calculations can be done. The statistics mode also follows the same easy to use functionality of the other scientific calculators.