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Texas Instruments TI-89 Handheld Electronic Calculator

National Museum of American History

Object Details

Texas Instruments
Description
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.
Location
Currently not on view
Credit Line
Gift of Jean Berko Gleason
1999
ID Number
2012.0063.04
accession number
2012.0063
catalog number
2012.0063.04
Object Name
electronic calculator
Physical Description
plastic (case; cover; keys material)
metal (circuitry material)
glass (display material)
Measurements
overall: 2.2 cm x 8.7 cm x 18.6 cm; 7/8 in x 3 7/16 in x 7 5/16 in
place made
Taiwan
See more items in
Medicine and Science: Computers
Computers & Business Machines
Handheld Electronic Calculators
National Museum of American History
Record ID
nmah_1421364
Metadata Usage (text)
CC0
GUID (Link to Original Record)
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746ad-9723-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa
Texas Instruments TI-89 Handheld Electronic Calculator
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
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