My Top 3 Favorite Calculators in 2024: AutoCAD's AutoLISP, Ti-nspire CX II CAS and MATLAB

Most people reading this article would expect to find, like me, a list of brands such as Hewlett Packard, Texas Instruments or Casio, along with specific models such as HP12C, TI-nspire CX II CAS, etc. However, the meaning of what a "calculator" is has evolved dramatically, during my lifetime, especially in the last few decades.

Briefly, we all begin making calculations using our fingers, which is where the word digit comes from. It is no coincidence we have ten digits or fingers, and the numeric system we use is based on 10 digits, unlike computers which use a binary system made of only two digits, 0 and 1. I have only used and "abacus," also called a counting frame, to count things like laps, or to pray the rosary and count how many times I have recited a prayer. I have never ever used an abacus to add or subtract large and complex numbers, and have yet to learn how to do it. Having started formal schooling last century during the 1970's, my first "real" calculator was an electronic device similar to the simplest scientific calculator you are likely to find for sale these days. But when Apollo 13 happened in the 1960's, many engineers still used slide calculators to perform mathematical operations.

Growing up in the 70's and 80's was unfortunate because I never really had to learn how to use a slide rule, the way people had to do it who started their formal education in the 1940's, 50's and 60's. The first time I had to learn to use a slide rule type device was during Ground School (not Flight Training) to become a Private Pilot in classes I took starting in 2017 at Cypress Community College's Commercial Aviation Department.

Using a slide rule is a fascinating method to multiply and divide numbers, which is basically what you are doing when you convert a number from one unit, such as statute mile, to another, such as nautical mile or kilometer. You are taking one unit and multiplying it by a conversion factor. You can also use such devices to figure out how much flying time you have left based on the number of gallons of fuels left on the tank(s). One advantage of such optical mechanical devices is that they do not need batteries. So when your electronic devices fail in mid air, it might pay to have a nice pilot watch on your wrist, and know how to use it. But this only works for very simple operations, the kind you might be able to train yourself to perform in your head.

In the early 1980's, with the advent of the Personal Computer (PC) revolution, my next favorite computer became Lotus123, one of the earliest spreadsheet programs. I then fell in love with QuattroPro, another spreadsheet program, and like most other users, ended up using Excel, which I continue using to this date mostly because of the successful manner Microsoft has gotten its products on the market. I also use Google sheets, Apple's Numbers App and LibreOffice Suite's Calc, its spreadsheet component. But I no longer consider any of these spreadsheets a favorite.

In the late 1980's and early 1990's, AutoCAD became my favorite calculator. For many architecture, engineering and construction calculation, analysis and design tasks, it remains my favorite calculation tool to this day. In my experience, what makes AutoCAD tick is its programmability, especially when performed directly at the Command: prompt using AutoLISP, and interpreted computer language. If you ever find yourself looking for a calculator while using AutoCAD, stop! You have one at the Command: prompt. The secret is to type a LISP expression. For example, (/ 7 3.0), will divide 7 by 3 for you. I will resist the temptation to turn this article into an AutoLISP math function tutorial. But let me just say the features it provides are really super powerful and cool! Which explains why it is my favorite "calculator."

In the early part of this century, software computer programming became my favorite calculation tool. Just as, "To know a CAD program is to love it," so it is that, "To know a Computer Language well," is also to love it. AutoLISP is one of the computer languages I have studied and used the most, so it remains one of my favorite computational tools, especially if I have read access to AutoCAD. Pascal, FORTRAN, C, C++, C#, Python and other computer languages have also, to a lesser extent, been favorites, and definitely remain part of my toolset or arsenal. But most notably, MATLAB has become my favorite Calculator to use programmatically or interactively at the command prompt interface.

MATLAB, put simply, offers the best AutoLISP, Excel or the Ti-nspire CX II CAS can afford you, in one package. It is definitely the tool I reach for when I am mobile, not in front of AutoCAD or a PC. In fact, it would be awesome if Autodesk acquired MathWorks, or alternatively, if Autodesk started offering better engineering and scientific computing power and features in its AEC product line. Look at some of the things that are very easily possible with MATLAB:

The power coupled with ease of use is simply addictive. Give it a try if you can. Cost should be no excuse because there is a free trial. Alternatively, you can perform a lot of similar operations using Python and loading packages. But MATLAB makes it easier to use, in my experience. The only downside is MATLAB's cost.

My latest favorite computational tools became evident when I took CE130 Plane Surveying class at California State University at Long Beach (CSULB) during the Spring 2024 Semester. I was in computing heaven when my professors gave me permission to use AutoCAD and MATLAB during tests, quizzes and exams. I ended up using AutoCAD most of the time, except when dealing with geometry and trigonometry calculations. Using sin, sind, cos, cosd, tan, tand in MATLAB, which distinguish automatically between radians and decimal degrees, is unbeatable. And using AutoCAD geometry, to solve surveying problems, is also unbeatable because you leave a drawing trace that everyone can look at and make immediate visual sense of.

So why did I include the Ti-nspire? Because it remains the only calculator worth my carrying around in case of emergencies. This is mostly due to its Computer Algebra System (CAS), also known as Symbolic Algebra Sysmtem (SAS). Briefly, it is a system that is concerned not only with computing results, but also with replicating the methods that are used to manually solve problems. It leads to such a different way of thinking it might drive new users nuts. Beware a CAS calculator may not be allowed in some classes or during standardized tests where programmable calculators are not allowed. You will have to experiment with a similar calculator yourself or wait until I write another article on the subject of CAS / SAS. But the great news is MATLAB includes packages for solving problems analytically, using computer algebra systems workflows. For examples, you can use MATLAB to perform derivation and integration operations on polynomiale, trigonometric and exponential functions. You can even solve Differential Equations! You can now see why MATLAB has risen near the top of my favorite computational tool list.

In conclusion, my favorite calculator in 2024 remains AutoCAD because of AutoLISP's simplicity and Command: prompt accessibility, but most importantly, because it lets you paint a 2D picture and create a 3D model or simulation worth thousands if not millions of words. Learning how to manipulate AutoCAD's Object Model using MATLAB will likely become my next favorite tool. As I prepare to take more advanced Civil Engineering and Science classes, MATLAB will definitely become an even more favorite and trusted tool. I must confess MATLAB is most likely not my favorite tool, yet, because I am still learning it and because I have not used it anywhere nearly as much as I have AutoCAD. Again, to know a tool is to love it.

Please share in the comments what your favorite computing tools are in 2024, along with your favorite tips and tricks that make each tool one of your favorites.