Making the Most of Your TI-84 Plus Silver Edition Calculator

[Pages:36]Making the Most of Your TI-84 Plus Silver Edition Calculator

A Few Helpful Hints to Get You Started! Download a full Guidebook at education.

Written by: Marguerite Teska Dominion High School Sterling, VA

Table of Contents

1. Identifying Your Calculator 2. Setting the Mode 3. Using Zoom and Window Buttons 4. Using Table and Table Set 5. Fractions 6. Number Lines and Inequalities 7. Number Lines and Absolute Values 8. Finding the Maximum and Minimum 9. Finding Roots (Zeros) 10. Finding Intersections and Solving Equations 11. Shading a Graph 12. Using the Draw Menu 13. Graphing Piecewise Functions 14. Imaginary Numbers 15. Plotting Data Points (Scattergram) 16. Histogram 17. Linear Regression 18. Quadratic Regression 19. Sequences 20. Series (Sums) 21. Permutations and Combinations 22. Mean, Median, Standard Deviation 23. Normal Distribution (Bell Curve) 24. Area Under the Normal Curve 25. Matrices 26. Parametric Equations 27. Polar Coordinates 28. Graphing Derivatives 29. Area Under a Curve 30. Programming Your Calculator 31. Trouble Shooting 32. Repeating a Previous Command 33. Graphing Variations on a Curve

Identifying Your Calculator

It is highly recommended that you put your name on your calculator in addition to putting stickers or otherwise marking its cover so it is easily and quickly identifiable. You can also record your calculator ID number in a safe place. To find the ID number ask your calculator by pressing:

You can also "make your calculator say your name" by creating an empty program under the PRGM button. This however disappears when you clear your calculator memory. To do this, create a new program using the program menu and typing:

Now enter the name using the alpha lock and typing the correct letters to spell your name. Start by typing:

When you are done typing hit enter, and then exit using:

Now when you press the PRGM button it will display your name. Later we will look at how to write a functioning program.

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Setting the Mode

When you get your calculator it will be set according to the first illustration of the MODE window shown on the right.

If you are doing trigonometric functions that use degrees, you MUST change to degree mode! Be aware that the calculator will return to the original setting of radians if you reset your calculator.

If you are using radians, the original setup is correct, but you should check the mode has not previously been set to degrees!

There are other things you can set in the mode window, too. If you want imaginary answers to be displayed, then you should change the setting from "real" to "a+bi" in this window. If you leave the setting as "real" then imaginary answers will only be displayed when imaginary numbers are present in the problem that is entered.

One other option on the MODE window is to change the screen so it displays multiple windows at once. This option is at the bottom above the clock. HORIZ splits the screen horizontally, whereas, G-T (Graph-Table) splits it vertically with a graph and its corresponding table. To move from one half screen to the other, push a calculator button corresponding to a function involving that part of the screen.

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Using Zoom and Window Buttons

What do you do when you need to see a part of the graph that isn't in the window? You probably want to Zoom Out. To do this you will use the ZOOM button.

There are 10 options for ZOOM. Some require you to press ENTER more than once (when you select a center), and others only require ENTER to be pressed once. ZBox requires you to draw a box around the zoom area.

The most useful are probably: ZoomIn ZoomOut ZStandard (the default) ZTrig (if graphing sine, cosine, etc.) ZoomStat (if doing statistics)

Give them all a try! Don't forget ZBox, too.

If the options on the ZOOM menu don't seem to do what you want, you can also change the view using the WINDOW button to specify exactly what the calculator should displayed.

The first illustration of the WINDOW listing, shows the Zoom Standard options. The second listing has been changed to display only the First Quadrant in the Coordinate Plane.

Xmin and Xmax tell the calculator where the x-axis should begin and end. Xscl tells the calculator how to count the x-axis. If you want to count by halves, change Xscl to 0.5. For trig functions, you might even change Xscl to /4. Ymin, Ymax, and Zscl are similar, but modify the z-axis display.

Xres has to do with the pixel resolution. If you make Xres larger than one your graphs will be displayed faster, but will often have less detail.

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Using Table and Table Set

What do you do when you can't figure out what numbers correspond with the points you need to know on your graph?

You can use the TRACE button and the navigation pad (right/left and up/down arrow) to move around the graph to get approximate values. However, if you need to be more exact, the table may contain the values you need.

The TABLE button pops up a list a lot of points on the graph. If you do not have a graph in the y-editor, it will only have x-values listed. The default is integers starting at zero, but you can scroll up and down to see both negative and larger positive values.

When you graph just one function, the y-coordinates for the function will be listed in the second column (Y1). If you graph two functions, then the y-coordinates for the second function will be listed in the third column (Y2).

In the illustration to the right, the two functions below are listed in the y-editor:

Y1 = x + 2 Y2 = x2

The corresponding table also tells you that the two functions intersect at point (2, 4).

If you do not like the way the table is set up, you can use the TBLSET button to change the format of the table. The standard setup is shown to the right. If you wish the x-values in your table to start at 100 and count by halves, you would change the TBLSET window to read:

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Fractions

When you try to do fractions using your calculator you will notice that the answers are displayed as a decimals! If you know how, you can get the answer as a fraction instead. To solve the following problem, enter it using parenthesis and division.

To get the answer as a fraction press the MATH button and choose Frac:

You can also do this all in one step. The Frac option on the MATH menu can be used in other types of situations, too. Enter the following problem using parenthesis and the caret button (i.e. ^) for the exponent.

Then use the MATH button and the Frac option to find the fraction. You can put both together in one statement, also. Later we will see how the MATH button and the Frac option can be used to perform more complicated operations.

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Number Lines and Inequalities

You can graph number lines for inequalities on your calculator using the y-editor in an unusual manner in conjunction with the logical operators found under the TEST button. To get to the local operators, use:

To display the number line for the inequality show below, type it in the y-editor using the logical operators under the TEST button.

x3 - 7 9

When you hit the GRAPH button a number line will pop up.

CAUTION: Though this does work, it is nearly impossible to tell if the graph begins at at 2.2, 2.5, 2.6 or some other value close by!

If you use the trace button to move to the endpoint, it too may not be accurate! So, the calculator will give you a general picture, but not the exact value that you may need.

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WARNING: This is NOT a good method for solving equations with equalities, such as:

2x2 - 7 = 9

The answers are generally not visible, often off the screen, and not listed in the table, either.

If you want to solve an equality using the calculator, it is best to use the methods described under Finding Intersections & Solving Equations.

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