Using the TI-84 Plus: Also Covers the TI-84 Plus CE and TI-84 Plus C Silver Edition

by Christopher Mitchell

Overview

Summary

This easy-to-follow book includes terrific tutorials and plenty of exercises and examples that let you learn by doing. It starts by giving you a hands-on orientation to the TI-84 Plus calculator. Then, you'll start exploring key features while you tackle problems just like the ones you'll see in your math and science classes.

Purchase of the print book includes a free eBook in PDF, Kindle, and ePub formats from Manning Publications.

About this Book

With so many features and functions, the TI-84 Plus graphing calculator can be a little intimidating. But fear not if you have this book in your hand! In it you'll find terrific tutorials ranging from mastering basic skills to advanced graphing and calculation techniques, along with countless examples and exercises that let you learn by doing.

Using the TI-84 Plus, Second Edition starts by making you comfortable with the screens, buttons, and special vocabulary you'll use every time you fire up the TI-84 Plus. Then, you'll master key features and techniques while you tackle problems just like the ones you'll see in your math and science classes. You'll even get tips for using the TI-84 Plus on the SAT and ACT math sections!

No advanced knowledge of math or science is required.

What's Inside

• Learn hands-on with real examples and exercises
• Find specific answers fast
• Compliant with all models of the TI-83 Plus and TI-84 Plus
• Full coverage of the color-screen TI-84 Plus CE and TI-84 Plus C Silver Edition

Christopher Mitchell, PhD. is a research scientist studying distributed systems, the founder of the programming and calculator support site cemetech.net, and the author of Manning's Programming the TI-83 Plus/ TI-84 Plus.

Table of Contents

PART 1 BASICS AND ALGEBRA ON THE TI-84 PLUS
1. What can your calculator do?
2. Get started with your calculator
3. Basic graphing
4. Variables, matrices, and lists
PART 2 PRECALCULUS AND CALCULUS
5. Expanding your graphing skills
6. Precalculus and your calculator
7. Calculus on the TI-83 Plus/TI-84 Plus
PART 3 STATISTICS, PROBABILITY, AND FINANCE
8. Calculating and plotting statistics
9. Working with probability and distributions
10. Financial tools
PART 4 GOING FURTHER WITH THE TI-83 PLUS/TI-84 PLUS
11. Turbocharging math with programming
12. The TI-84 Plus CE and TI-84 Plus C Silver Edition
13. Now what?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781617293153
Publisher:	Manning
Publication date:	07/11/2015
Edition description:	2nd Edition
Pages:	376
Product dimensions:	7.40(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	9 - 18 Years

About the Author

Christopher Mitchell is a teacher, student, and recognized leader in the graphing calculator enthusiast community. You'll find Christopher (aka Kerm Martian) and his community of calculator experts answering questions, sharing advice, and providing educational tools on his website cemetech.net.

Table of Contents

Preface xi

Acknowledgments xiii

About this book xv

Part 1 Basics and Algebra on the TI-84 Plus 1

1 What can your calculator do? 3

1.1 Five examples of what your calculator can do 4

Calculating the volume of a cube 5

Solving the Quadratic Formula 7

Graphing sine and cosine 10

Calculating the area under a curve 12

Fitting a line to data 14

1.2 This book and your calculator 17

Your calculator, a multipurpose tool 17

What you'll need 19

1.3 MathPrint vs. non-MathPrint calculators 20

1.4 Summary 23

2 Get started with your calculator 25

2.1 Before you begin 26

2.2 Performing basic calculations 29

Simple arithmetic 30

Dividing sums: demonstrating the importance of parentheses 30

Using exponents 32

Roots of numbers 33

Continuing a calculation: Ans 34

2.3 More homescreen skills 36

More on 2nd and ALPHA 36

Editing an equation 38

Repeating a calculation 39

MathPrint focus: entering and displaying fractions 39

2.4 Finding functions 41

Examples of homescreen math functions 43

A guide to finding functions 46

2.5 Setting modes 48

2.6 Solving equations and checking your answers 51

Using the Equation Solver tool 52

Boolean algebra with the Test/Logic menu 54

2.7 Summary 56

3 Basic graphing 57

3.1 Getting started with graphing 58

3.2 Visualizing solutions and examining graphs 61

A ball is thrown: maximum and minimum of a function 61

Two trains: intersection of two functions 67

3.3 Manipulating graphs 71

Viewing different parts of the graph 72

Modifying graph format settings 75

Graph styles, shading, and inequalities 78

3.4 Using the Table 79

Examining graph values 80

Graph-Table and Horizontal split screen 81

3.5 Summary 83

4 Variables, matrices, and lists 84

4.1 What are variables? Why do I need them? 85

Plugging x into a polynomial 87

Finding the volume of a box 88

Testing the Pythagorean Theorem 90

4.2 Using sequences of numbers: lists 92

Typing lists 93

Sotring lists into list variables 94

Isolating a single list element 95

4.3 List operations and functions 96

List-wise algebra operations 97

List-wise math functions 98

Element-wise list operations 101

4.4 Exploring 2D matrices 103

Typing matrices on the homescreen 103

Creating and using matrix variables 104

Typing matrices in the matrix editor 105

4.5 Matrix operations and functions 106

Matrix-wise algebraic operations 106

Single-matrix operations 108

4.6 Summary 111

Part 2 Precalculus and Calculus 113

5 Expanding your graphing skills 115

5.1 Parametric mode 116

Parametric example: graphing a circle 118

Parametric example: throwing a baseball 120

Parametric example: a Lissajous curve 122

5.2 Graphing polar functions 123

Polar example: a spiral 125

Polar example: polar rose 126

5.3 Graphing sequences 127

Sequence example: a sequence of squares 128

Sequence example: the Fibonacci series 130

5.4 Drawing on graphs 133

Graphscreen drawing tools 133

Using drawing tools on the homescreen 136

Drawing graphlike functions: DrawInv, DrawF, and Shade 139

5.5 Saving graph settings and pictures 140

Saving and recalling picture variables 141

Saving and recalling graph databases 142

5.6 Summary 143

6 Precalculus and your calculator 144

6.1 Imaginary and complex numbers 145

Complex number functions and symbols 145

Complex roots with the Quadratic Formula 148

6.2 Experimenting with trigonometry 149

Trig functions 149

Trigonometry and the unit circle 152

6.3 Understanding limits 155

6.4 Exponents and logarithms 158

6.5 Summary 160

7 Calculus on the TI-83 Plus/TI-84 Plus 161

7.1 Derivatives and slope 162

Calculating derivatives on the graphscreen 163

Calculating derivatives on the homescreen 164

7.2 Finding minima, maxima, and inflection points 166

7.3 Integrals and area under a curve 168

Computing integrals on the graphscreen 169

Computing integrals on the homescreen 172

7.4 Summary 173

Part 3 Statistics, Probability, and Finance 175

8 Calculating and plotting statistics 177

8.1 Working with data lists 178

8.2 Calculating properties of data 182

Summarizing data 183

1-Var Stats and 2-Var Stats 184

8.3 Statistical plots 188

Using Scatter and XYLine 189

Plotting a histogram 192

Understanding Box plots 194

Normal probability plots 197

8.4 Regression: fitting lines to data 198

Linear regression 199

Exponential regression 202

More regression: the many options 204

8.5 Summary 206

9 Working with probability and distributions 207

9.1 Calculating PDFs and CDFs 208

Probability distribution functions 209

Cumulative distribution functions 214

Inverse CDFs 218

9.2 Drawing distributions 219

9.3 Combinatorics 222

9.4 Generating random numbers 225

9.5 Summary 228

10 Financial tools 229

10.1 Financial variables and tools 230

10.2 Solving finance problems 231

Investments and interest 232

Mortgages and loans 234

Other finance tools 237

10.3 Summary 239

Part 4 Going Further with the TI-83 Plus/TI-84 Plus 241

11 Turbocharging math with programming 243

11.1 Hello World, your first program 244

What's a program? 245

Creating and writing a program 246

Testing the Hello World program 247

11.2 Writing a Quadratic Formula solver 248

Coding and testing the Quadratic Formula solver 249

Understanding the Quadratic Formula solver 251

11.3 A crash course in programming commands 253

Input and output 254

Conditional statements 256

Menus, labels, and jumps 259

Loops 261

11.4 Putting it all together: programming, SATs, math, and more 264

11.5 Summary: taking programming further 266

12 The TI-84 Plus CE and TI-84 Plus C Silver Edition 267

12.1 Arithmetic and algebra 269

The homescreen and the Mode menu 270

MathPrint features 271

OS-wide Catalog Help 273

The Equation Solver 274

12.2 Graphing features 275

Your first graph in color 276

Color graphing features 278

12.3 Drawing in color 281

12.4 Statistics features 283

Using QuickPlot & Fit-EQ 284

Using manual Stat Plots 286

12.5 Summary 288

13 Now what? 289

13.1 Connecting your calculator 290

Transferring files to and from computers 290

Transferring files between calculators 294

13.2 Finding and using Apps and programs 295

13.3 Writing and publishing your own programs 297

Programming tools 297

Forums and archives 298

13.4 Sensors, robots, and hardware 299

13.5 Final thoughts 301

Appendix A The SATs and your calculator 303

Appendix B Calculator skills summary 314

Appendix C Something went wrong 333

Index 343