Getting Started on the TI-83 Plus Presented by Judy O’Neal North Georgia College & State University

Calculator Skills Addressed Turning calculator on/off Getting to and computing on the Home screen Clearing the Home screen Adjusting the screen contrast Recalling previous entries Deleting and inserting Storing values for a variable Using the MODE, TEST, MATH, and CALC menus Choosing between – and - Graphing Using TBL SET and TABLE Entering lists Creating and tracing on a Stat Plot (line graph) Linking two calculators Resetting calculator Downloading and installing TI Connect software Upgrading calculator Operating System (OS) Downloading Apps

Mathematics Topics Addressed Comparing, ordering, and performing operations with positive and negative rational numbers Finding absolute value Evaluating algebraic expressions Solving equations Interpreting line graphs Describing patterns in graphs of inverse variations/proportions Analyzing and drawing conclusions about data Making connections in other contexts

Turning the TI-83 Plus On & Off To turn the calculator on, press the ON key.  A blinking cursor appears on the home screen. To turn the calculator off, first press the yellow 2 nd key and then press the ON key. ON 2ND Home Screen

Getting to the Home (Computing) Screen When the calculator is turned on, it may not be on the Home screen since it stays on whatever screen was used last. To return to the Home screen, press 2 nd and MODE to access the QUIT command.

Clearing the Home Screen Press the CLEAR key to erase everything except a blinking cursor on the Home screen. Home Screen

Adjusting the Screen Contrast To darken the screen,  press and release the 2 ND key  press the up arrow (a number will appear in the upper right-hand corner)  repeat the process of pressing the 2 ND key and the up arrow until satisfied. To lighten the screen,  press and release the 2 ND key  press the down arrow (a number will appear in the upper right-hand corner)  repeat the process of pressing the 2 ND key and the down arrow until satisfied. The contrast levels range from 0 (lightest) to 9 (darkest). NOTE: The inability to darken the screen sufficiently indicates the need for new batteries. Up Arrow Down Arrow

Exploring the MODE Key I Engineering Notation (Uses powers of ten that are multiples of 3)  Press the MODE key and right arrow to ENG.  Press 2 ND and MODE (to access QUIT) to return to the Home screen. Scientific Notation  Press the MODE key and left arrow to SCI.  Press 2 ND and MODE (to access QUIT) to return to the Home screen. Normal Notation  Press the MODE key and left arrow to NORMAL.  Press 2 ND and MODE (to access QUIT) to return to the Home screen.

Exploring the MODE Key II To fix the number of decimal places displayed on the screen, press the MODE key, down arrow to FLOAT, and right arrow to highlight the desired number of places (3), and press ENTER. Press 2 nd MODE to QUIT. Enter the numbers shown and observe the results. Fixing the number of decimal places is equivalent to rounding. Return the decimal places to FLOAT (displays decimals when numbers aren’t whole numbers).

Performing a Simple Computation Use the white number keys and the blue operations keys to enter the following problem: 6*  2 Press ENTER to view the result. Compare the result of 6*( )  2 with the previous result. Notice that the TI-83 Plus computes answers based on the standard order of operations rules.

Recalling a Previous Entry To change the previous problem to 6*( )  2.5, it is not necessary to retype the entire problem.  Press and release the 2 ND key (an UP arrow will appear).  Press the ENTER key (the previous expression will appear).  Type.5 and press ENTER.  NOTE: The yellow 2 nd key activates all yellow commands listed above each key.

Recalling and Using an Answer To perform a mathematical operation on the last computed value, such as taking the reciprocal, press the x -1 key, and then press ENTER.  Ans represents the last value shown on the Home screen. To recall the last answer, press 2 ND, then (-), and finally ENTER.  ANS is the yellow command above the negative sign.

Deleting and Inserting Symbols or Numbers To change 6*( )  2.5 to 6*11.5+(14-2) 2 without retyping the entire entry:  Recall the previous entry (2 nd ENTER).  Move the left arrow until the blinking cursor is over the ( and press DEL (delete).  Move the right arrow until the blinking cursor is over the 1 in 14 and press 2 ND INS (insert). The 1 will “dance” up and down.  Press the (, move the right arrow until the blinking cursor is over the ) after 14, and press – (subtraction key).  Move the right arrow until the blinking cursor is over the decimal point, press ), press the x 2 key, and then press ENTER.

Using the Negative and Subtraction Keys Use the (-) key when taking the opposite of a number. Use the – key when taking away a given amount from another amount. Compare the results from the following entries: 

Storing and Recalling Values for a Variable To evaluate an algebraic expression such as A 3 -2A 2 +4A-5, store a value for A such as - 2.  Enter (-)2, press STO, press ALPHA (green key) and then MATH (A), and press ENTER. (The ALPHA key activates the green letters above certain keys.)  Enter the expression on the home screen. Press ALPHA MATH (A) ^ ALPHA MATH (A) x ALPHA MATH (A) – 5 ENTER. To recall the value assigned to A,  Press ALPHA MATH and ENTER.

Using the TEST Menu To determine if X= - 3 is a solution of the equation 4X + 3 = - 9 (a 1 appears) or not (a 0 appears),  Store - 3 for X by pressing (-)3, STO, the X,T, ,n key, and press ENTER.  Type 4X + 3, 2 nd MATH, select 1:= by pressing ENTER, type - 9, and then press ENTER. To compare numbers such as 5/11 and 7/19,  Type 5/11, press 2 nd MATH, press 5, type 7/19, and then press ENTER.  Since 0 results, 5/11 > 7/19.

Finding a Solution Graphically I Press the grey Y= key and CLEAR any equations. Enter 4X - 3 in Y 1, press ENTER to move cursor to the next Y value, and type 9 in Y 2. Go to WINDOW and enter appropriate values for xmin/xmax and ymin/ymax. Press the GRAPH key, the TRACE key, and then the direction keys to move along (left and right arrows) and between (up and down arrows) the lines.

Finding a Solution Graphically II An accurate and quick graphical solution utilizes the CALC menu.  From the GRAPH screen, press 2 ND TRACE to access the CALC menu.  Arrow down to 5: intersect and press ENTER.  Press ENTER to select the first curve, press ENTER to select the second curve, and press ENTER again to accept the GUESS value or type your guess number.

Finding a Solution Using TABLE Choose TBLSET by pressing 2 ND WINDOW.  Type a beginning number for the X value in the table.  Press ENTER or arrow down to  TblStart and type 1.  Continue to press ENTER and select Indpnt: Auto and Depend: Auto. Choose TABLE (2 ND GRAPH) to view the table of values for X, Y 1, and Y 2.  Scroll down until the Y 1, and Y 2 values are both 9 and observe the X value (solution).

Writing a Series of Letters on the Home Screen To write a series of letters, press 2 nd and ALPHA to lock the calculator into “letter” mode (an A appears) and then press the letters.  The space is found above the 0 key. To unlock the “letter” mode on the calculator, press the ALPHA key.

Using the Absolute Value Feature To determine | - 6|,  Press MATH, right arrow to NUM, and press ENTER.  Press (-)6 ) and ENTER. Alternate Method:  Access CATALOG by pressing 2 nd 0 to find all alphabetically arranged calculator commands contained in CATALOG.  Press ENTER and abs( appears on the home screen.  Press (-)6 ) and ENTER.

Viewing and Clearing Lists To view a list,  Press STAT and select 1:Edit by pressing ENTER. To clear a list,  Method 1: If a list such as L 1 contains numbers, then move the cursor to the L 1 name above the horizontal line, press ENTER, press CLEAR, and press ENTER.  Method 2: Press STAT and choose 4: ClrList, 2 ND 1, 2 ND 2, 2 ND 3, and ENTER.

Entering Data in a List – Part 1 Consider results of a 40K race involving a cyclist, runner, jogger, and walker. In List 1 enter the average speed.  40 as L 1 (1)  20 as L 1 (2)  10 as L 1 (3)  5 as L 1 (4)

Entering Data in a List – Part 2 In List 2 enter the elapsed time in hours.  1 as L 2 (1)  2 as L 2 (2)  4 as L 2 (3)  8 as L 2 (4)

Creating a STAT Plot from Lists – Part 1 Plot a line graph that shows the elapsed time (in hours) versus the speed (in km/hr).  Press 2 ND STAT PLOT (Y=).  Select 1:Plot1 by pressing ENTER.  Move cursor to On using the left arrow and press ENTER.  Down arrow to Type:, right arrow to line plot, and press ENTER.  Down arrow to XList:, press 2 nd L 1 (above 1), and press ENTER.  For YList:, press 2 nd L 2 (above 2), and press ENTER.  Select the mark of your choice and press ENTER.

Creating a STAT Plot from Lists – Part 2 Before graphing,  Press Y= and clear out or turn off equations.  Select ZOOM 9: ZoomStat or WINDOW and enter appropriate xmin, xmax, ymin, and ymax values. Press GRAPH. Press TRACE and the right/left arrow key to move between data points. Note:  An increase in one variable causes a decrease in the other.  Neither variable can be equal to 0.  As time (t) increases, average speed (v) decreases  As the average speed (v) increases, the time (t) taken to complete the journey decreases.  The product of the two variables has a constant value (vt = 40). THUS, an inverse variation exists with k the constant of variation.

Linking Two Calculators Applications, lists, programs, application variables, etc. can be sent from one calculator to another calculator using the LINK command and the black link cable.  Insert the ends of a black link cable firmly into the bottom of two calculators.  Beginning with the receiving calculator, press 2 ND and then X,T, ,n to access the LINK menu. Right arrow to RECEIVE and press ENTER. (Waiting... will appear on the screen.)  On the sending calculator, press 2 ND and then X,T, ,n to access the LINK menu. Down arrow to APPS, press ENTER, down arrow to the APP to be transferred, and press ENTER (a square appears in front). Right arrow to TRANSMIT and press ENTER.  To interrupt the transfer, press the ON key and wait for the Error in Xmit message and press ENTER.

Resetting the Calculator To reset all RAM (erases all lists, equations, variable values, and programs),  Access the MEMORY menu by pressing 2 ND +.  Press 7 to select Reset...  Press 1 to select All RAM...  Press 2 to select Reset if you are certain you want to erase everything. To restore the Mode, Format, and Window menus to their factory settings (does not erase lists, equations, programs, etc.),  Access the MEMORY menu by pressing 2 ND +.  Press 7 to select Reset...  Press 2 to select Defaults...

Downloading TI Connect Software – Part 1 To download TI Connect software (free),  Go to  Click on >Products

Downloading TI Connect Software – Part 2  Locate Computer Software and click on the down arrow to activate the pull- down menu.  Move down to TI Connect and click on it.  Click on the down arrow of the drop-down menu and select either Mac or Windows.

Downloading TI Connect Software – Part 3  Select the language version (English).  Scroll down to the bottom of the Software License Agreement and click on Accept.

Downloading TI Connect Software – Part 4  Click on TI Connect(tm) for Windows(r) (English). TI Connect(tm) for Windows(r) (English)  Select Save to Disk and click on OK.  Select a location on your computer to save the installation file (the name ends with.exe) and click on Save.

Installing TI Connect Software  Go to the location of the downloaded file and open it.  Follow the instructions on the screens to install the program.  Run the program from the Start menu (lower left-hand corner of your computer screen) or click on the desktop icon (if you chose that option).

Connecting Your Calculator and Computer Connect the USB end of the Silver USB Link Cable (obtainable from various office supply companies) to a USB port on your computer and securely connect the other end to the bottom of the TI-83 Plus (or the top of a TI-84 Plus).

Upgrading the Calculator’s Operating System (OS) – Part 1  Select the blue Updates button.  Check TI Device applications and Device Operating System and click Continue.

Upgrading the Calculator’s Operating System (OS) – Part 2  Click on Select if the USB port and the USB Silverlink Cable are found. Note: This screen may not appear.  View the Update Status screen, check the TI-83 Plus Operating System 1.19 box, check the Download to my device box, and click on Continue to install the latest operating system.

Upgrading the Calculator’s Operating System (OS) – Part 3  For returning users, enter your password; for new users, click on Sign me up!  Click on Download.  Select I accept the terms of the license agreement and click on Continue.

Upgrading the Calculator’s Operating System (OS) – Part 4  Select Install OS only (assuming you do not want to save any lists, equations, variable values, and programs) and click on Continue.  View upgrade progress on the Transferring... screen and on the calculator screen.

Downloading Apps – Part 1 Click on Downloads at the TI website. Click on Calculator Software Applications.

Downloading Apps – Part 2 Choose TI-83 Plus Family/TI-84 Plus Family. Cursor down the list and choose an App (Cabri Jr) by clicking on its name.

Downloading Apps – Part 3 Click on the TI-83 Plus Download button. Scroll down to the bottom of the Software License Agreement and click on Accept.

Downloading Apps – Part 4 Click on Cabri Jr.

Downloading Apps – Part 5 Select Save to Disk and click OK. Select a location on your computer to save the installation file (the name ends with.8xk) and click on Save.

Installing an App on Your Calculator Activate the TI Connect window and click on TI Device Explorer. Go to the location of the downloaded App file, hold down the left click button on your computer, drag the file to the TI Device Explorer screen, and drop anywhere on the screen.

Help/Contact Information TI-CARES  Support TI Connect Help button

GPS Addressed M7N1  Find the absolute value of a number  Compare and order rational numbers, including repeating decimals  Add, subtract, multiply, and divide positive and negative rational numbers M7A1  Simplify and evaluate algebraic expressions M7A2  Given a problem, define a variable, write an equation, solve the equation, and interpret the solution M7A3  Represent, describe, and analyze relations from tables, graphs, and formulas  Describe patterns in the graphs of proportional relationships, both direct and inverse M7D1  Analyze data using appropriate graphs (line plots)  Analyze and draw conclusions about data, including describing the relationship between two variables M7P1  Using appropriate technology, solve problems that arise in mathematics and in other contexts  Apply and adapt a variety of appropriate strategies to solve problems M7P4  Recognize and apply mathematics in contexts outside of mathematics