Chapter 1

Starting with the Basics

IN THIS CHAPTER

Turning the calculator on and off

Using the keyboard

Utilizing the menus

Setting the mode of the calculator

Using the Catalog

The most popular calculator in the world just got a makeover! In this book, you find out how to take advantage of the improvements that have been made to the TI-84 Plus, as well as all of the built-in functionality that has not changed. The best way to use your calculator to the fullest is to read this book and start playing with the device.

The TI-84 Plus CE graphing calculator is loaded with many useful features. With it, you can solve equations of all types. You can graph and investigate functions, parametric equations, polar equations, and sequences. You can use it to analyze statistical data and to manipulate matrices.

What if you own the TI-84 Plus and not the TI-84 Plus CE? No worries! The vast majority of the steps will be exactly the same for both calculators. You'll see a difference in the appearance of the graph screen - the TI-84 Plus CE has a higher resolution color screen. If you own the TI-84 Plus, ignore any steps referencing color and skip Chapter 22 (about inserting color images) altogether.

Look for this TI-84 Plus Tip icon to point out differences between the TI-84 Plus and the TI-84 Plus CE.

If you've never used a graphing calculator before, you may at first find it a bit intimidating. After all, it contains about two dozen menus, many of which contain three or four submenus. But it's really not that hard to get used to using the calculator. After you get familiar with what the calculator is capable of doing, finding the menu that houses the command you need is quite easy. And you have this book to help you along the way.

Why Didn't I Think of That?

You may have the same reaction that I did to some of the changes that have been made to the calculator: "Why didn't I think of that?" It's possible that you did actually! Many of the changes to the TI-84 Plus are a direct result of feedback received from teachers and students. After all, Texas Instruments is committed to providing the best tools for the teaching and learning of mathematics and science.

CE is short for color enhancement. Having a color screen is a game-changer! Say goodbye to having trouble distinguishing functions when you're graphing more than one function on the same screen. Although some of the improvements are subtle, you'll notice others the first time you pick up your new calculator. Here's a small sampling of the changes:

• New menu options: I love that all additional menu options have been strategically placed at the end of menus. For example, a new option in the Stat CALC menu, QuickPlot & Fit-EQ, as illustrated in the first screen in Figure 1-1. Have you memorized keystrokes, like q for ZStandard? No problem! The functionality you know hasn't changed.
• Status Bar: A quick glance at the top of your screen informs you of the mode settings (like Radian or Degree) as well as a battery status icon. See the top of any of the screens in Figure 1-1. The Status Bar is always there whether you're working on the current line of the Home screen, graph, or table!

  FIGURE 1-1: Improvements to the TI-84 Plus.

• Higher resolution LCD backlit screen: Not quite HD quality, but the new screen has more than twelve times as many graph area pixels as the original (320 × 244 versus 96 × 64)! Plus, you can work on problems at night on a screen that's backlit.
• Sleek design: 30 percent thinner and lighter than the TI-84 Plus. It measures 7.59 × 3.42 inches; similar dimensions to an oversized cell phone, which makes it easy to fit in your pocket. Is it ever a bad idea to have your calculator with you?
• More memory: Gone are the days of worrying about whether you have enough memory to store your programs! TI-84 Plus CE has three times as much RAM and about six times as much ROM.
• Border on graph screen: Helpful info like function names and coordinates of intersection points are kept separate from the graph, as shown in the second screen in Figure 1-1. Whoever thought of this is brilliant!
• Table enhancements: Separator lines and color-coded lists (matching the functions) are more pleasing to the eye. Built-in tips called Context Help are located at the top of the screen, including hints like Press + for ?Tbl. Check out the new table look in the third screen in Figure 1-1.

Think you've seen it all? Not even close. I explain these improvements and much more - just keep reading.

Charging the Battery

The TI-84 Plus CE uses a Li-ion battery, similar to the one in your cellphone, which holds a charge for up to two weeks. Texas Instruments (TI) recommends charging your battery for at least four hours for peak performance. On the right side of your calculator, an LED light lights up during the recharging process. An amber color indicates your calculator is charging, and a green color indicates your calculator is fully charged. There are three ways to recharge your calculator battery:

The TI-84 Plus does not have a rechargeable battery. You must open the back panel and insert four new AAA batteries.

• TI Wall Adapter: Simply plug in the adapter that came bundled with your calculator.

• USB computer cable: Use the USB computer cable that came with your calculator and a computer to charge your calculator. Plug the USB hub into the computer and plug the mini-USB hub into your calculator.

  Your computer may not recognize the USB computer cable you are using to charge your calculator. If this happens, download TI-Connect software from http://education.ti.com. For more details on downloading and installing TI-Connect, see Chapter 18.

• TI-84 CE Charging Station: If your classroom has one of these, simply place your calculator in one of the slots of the charging station.

In the top-right part of the screen, a battery status icon indicates the battery level. There are four different battery levels plus a charging icon, as shown in Figure 1-2.

FIGURE 1-2: Battery status icon battery levels.

If your battery loses its charge, the RAM memory on your calculator may be cleared. If you have programs or data that you don't want to lose, back up your calculator (see Chapter 21 for more details). Your calculator gives you a warning message, as shown in Figure 1-3.

FIGURE 1-3: Battery level warning screen.

Turning the Calculator On and Off

Press É to turn the calculator on. To turn the calculator off, press y and then press É. These keys are in the left column of the keyboard. The É key is at the bottom of the column, and the y key is the second key from the top of this column.

To prolong the life of the batteries, the calculator automatically turns itself off after five minutes of inactivity. But don't worry - when you press É, all your work will appear on the calculator just as you left it before the calculator turned itself off.

The first time you turn on your calculator, you're greeted by an information screen, as shown in Figure 1-4. A few helpful reminders are displayed on the information screen. If you want to see this screen the next time you turn on your calculator, press Á. Otherwise, press À or Í.

FIGURE 1-4: Information screen.

In some types of light, the screen can be hard to see. To increase the contrast, press and release y and then hold down } until you have the desired contrast. To decrease the contrast, press y and hold ┼.

Using the Keyboard

The row of keys under the calculator screen contains the keys you use when graphing. The next three rows, for the most part, contain editing keys, menu keys, and arrow keys. The arrow keys (~|}┼) control the movement of the cursor. The remaining rows contain, among other things, the keys you typically find on a scientific calculator.

Keys on the calculator are always pressed one at a time; they are never pressed simultaneously. In this book, an instruction such as yÉ indicates that you should first press y and then press É.

Accessing the functions in blue

Above and to the left of most keys is a secondary key function written in blue. To access that function, first press y and then press the key. For example, p is in blue above the > key, so to use p in an expression, press y and then press >.

Because hunting for the function in blue can be tedious, in this book I use only the actual keystrokes. For example, I make statements like, "p is entered into the calculator by pressing y>." Most other books would state, "p is entered into the...