Texas Instruments TI-89 Handheld Electronic Calculator

This symbolic graphing calculator, sold by Texas Instruments, was introduced in 1998 as a compact version of the TI-92. The handheld electronic calculator has a black plastic case with a sliding cover that can also serve as a stand. It has an array of forty-one rectangular plastic keys, many of which can take on three meanings. These include a wide number of arithmetic, trigonometric, statistical, algebraic, and analytic functions. Letters of the alphabet also can be represented. The calculator also has four arrow keys, plus a row of five keys immediately under the display that relate to graphing, tables, and preprogrammed functions. In addition to performing a wide range of calculations, the calculator could display eight lines of text sixteen characters long or graph ten rectangular or six parametric or polar functions simultaneously. It also could list tables and calculate derivatives and integrals of functions.

A mark above the display reads: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS TI-89. A cable (not present in this example) allowed sharing data with other instruments.

The back of the calculator has a compartment at the bottom that holds four AAA batteries as well as a small CR1616 or CR1620 backup battery. A mark above the battery compartment reads in part: TEXAS (/) INSTRUMENTS. It also reads: 14016297 I-0599B (/) MADE IN TAIWAN R.O.C. Further text on the back of the calculator indicates that the design was copyrighted in 1997.

This TI-89 was owned by Harvard University mathematician Andrew Gleason.

References:

Accession file.

[Advertisement], New York Times, August 29, 1999, p. AR34. TI-89 selling for $149.99.

Online Datamath Museum, accessed June 15, 2015.

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