WolframAlpha, the “computational knowledge engine,” is fantastic for those interested in math, science, engineering, music and more. If you haven’t heard of it, it’s worth investigating. It’s not a web search engine like Google or Bing, but instead is a searchable database of just about anything science-related.

Want to know about the Sun? Do you like caffeine? Have a need to convert AU to parsecs? Looking for a solution to a differential equation? Wolfram’s got your back!

WolframAlpha cranked out this integral calculus problem almost immediately! I wish I could say the same about my HP calculator!

Have you ever tried to use the hyperbolic trigonometric functions on the TI-83?

As far as I can tell, the only way to access the hyp trig functions like sinh and cosh is to go to Catalog and scroll all the way down to the function name.

Now granted, you can use the letter keys to skip down a bit closer to the function you’re looking for.  But scrolling through function after function is just awful, especially considering how many other calculators have a “Hyp” button right on them, or even individual sinh and cosh buttons (including OS X’s built-in calculator).

If I’m overlooking something, please feel free to leave a comment.  I’d love to know a shortcut to access those functions on the calculator!

If only I could get used to RPN, maybe I’d go the HP route.