Texas Instruments TI-83 - Plus Graphing Calculator Manual

07/23/03 ©2001-2003Texas Instruments
TI
TI
-
83 Plus /
TI-83 Plus Silver Edition
Graphing Calculator Guidebook
On/Off Graphing a function
Menus Modes
Using parentheses Lists
Tables Data and lists
Matrices Split screen
Inferential statistics Archiving/Unarchiving
Programming Menu maps
Sending and receiving Troubleshooting
Formulas Support and service
More Information
First Steps
Creating…
Beyond the Basics

TI-83 Plus
Important
Texas Instruments makes no warranty, either express or implied,
including but not limited to any implied warranties of merchantability and
fitness for a particular purpose, regarding any programs or book
materials and makes such materials available solely on an “as-is” basis.
In no event shall Texas Instruments be liable to anyone for special,
collateral, incidental, or consequential damages in connection with or
arising out of the purchase or use of these materials, and the sole and
exclusive liability of Texas Instruments, regardless of the form of action,
shall not exceed the purchase price of this equipment. Moreover, Texas
Instruments shall not be liable for any claim of any kind whatsoever
against the use of these materials by any other party.
Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
Macintosh is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc.

TI-83 Plus
US FCC Information Concerning Radio
Frequency Interference
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a
Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC rules. These limits
are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful
interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses,
and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in
accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference with
radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference
will not occur in a particular installation.
If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television
reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on,
you can try to correct the interference by one or more of the following
measures:
• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
• Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
• Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to
which the receiver is connected.
• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/television technician for
help.
Caution: Any changes or modifications to this equipment not expressly
approved by Texas Instruments may void your authority to operate the
equipment.

TI-83 Plus Operating the TI-83 Plus Silver Edition 1
Chapter 1:
Operating the TI-83 Plus Silver Edition
Documentation Conventions
In the body of this guidebook, TI-83 Plus (in silver) refers to the
TI-83 Plus Silver Edition. Sometimes, as in Chapter 19, the full
name TI-83 Plus Silver Edition is used to distinguish it from the
TI-83 Plus.
All the instructions and examples in this guidebook also work for
the TI-83 Plus. All the functions of the TI-83 Plus Silver Edition and the
TI-83 Plus are the same. The two calculators differ only in available RAM
memory and Flash application ROM memory.

TI-83 Plus Operating the TI-83 Plus Silver Edition 2
TI-83 Plus Keyboard
Generally, the keyboard is divided into these zones: graphing keys,
editing keys, advanced function keys, and scientific calculator keys.
Keyboard Zones
Graphing — Graphing keys access the interactive graphing features.
Editing — Editing keys allow you to edit expressions and values.
Advanced — Advanced function keys display menus that access the
advanced functions.
Scientific — Scientific calculator keys access the capabilities of a
standard scientific calculator.

TI-83 Plus Operating the TI-83 Plus Silver Edition 3
TI-83 Plus
Editing Keys
Advanced
Function Keys
Scientific
Calculator Keys
Graphing Keys
Colors may vary in actual product.

TI-83 Plus Operating the TI-83 Plus Silver Edition 4
Using the Color.Coded Keyboard
The keys on the TI-83 Plus are color-coded to help you easily locate the
key you need.
The light gray keys are the number keys. The blue keys along the right side
of the keyboard are the common math functions. The blue keys across the
top set up and display graphs. The blue Œkey provides access to
applications such as the Finance application.
The primary function of each key is printed on the keys. For example,
when you press , the MATH menu is displayed.
Using the yand ƒKeys
The secondary function of each key is printed in yellow above the key.
When you press the yellow ykey, the character, abbreviation, or word
printed in yellow above the other keys becomes active for the next
keystroke. For example, when you press yand then , the TEST
menu is displayed. This guidebook describes this keystroke combination
as y:.

TI-83 Plus Operating the TI-83 Plus Silver Edition 5
The alpha function of each key is printed in green above the key. When
you press the green ƒkey, the alpha character printed in green
above the other keys becomes active for the next keystroke. For
example, when you press ƒand then , the letter Ais entered.
This guidebook describes this keystroke combination as ƒ[A].
The ykey
accesses the
second function
printed in yellow
above each ke
y
.
The ƒkey
accesses the alpha
function printed in
green above each
key.

TI-83 Plus Operating the TI-83 Plus Silver Edition 6
Turning On and Turning Off the TI-83 Plus
Turning On the Calculator
To turn on the TI-83 Plus, press É.
• If you previously had turned off the
calculator by pressing yM, the
TI-83 Plus displays the home screen as it
was when you last used it and clears any
error.
• If Automatic Power Down™ (APDé) had previously turned off the
calculator, the TI-83 Plus will return exactly as you left it, including the
display, cursor, and any error.
• If the TI-83 Plus is turned off and you connect it to another calculator
or personal computer, the TI-83 Plus will “wake up” when you
complete the connection.
• If the TI-83 Plus is turned off and connected to another calculator or
personal computer, any communication activity will “wake up” the
TI-83 Plus.
To prolong the life of the batteries, APD turns off the TI-83 Plus
automatically after about five minutes without any activity.

TI-83 Plus Operating the TI-83 Plus Silver Edition 7
Turning Off the Calculator
To turn off the TI-83 Plus manually, press yM.
• All settings and memory contents are retained by Constant
MemoryTM.
• Any error condition is cleared.
Batteries
The TI-83 Plus uses four AAA alkaline batteries and has a user-
replaceable backup lithium battery (CR1616 or CR1620). To replace
batteries without losing any information stored in memory, follow the
steps in Appendix B.

TI-83 Plus Operating the TI-83 Plus Silver Edition 8
Setting the Display Contrast
Adjusting the Display Contrast
You can adjust the display contrast to suit your viewing angle and lighting
conditions. As you change the contrast setting, a number from 0(lightest)
to 9(darkest) in the top-right corner indicates the current level. You may
not be able to see the number if contrast is too light or too dark.
Note: The TI-83 Plus has 40 contrast settings, so each number 0through 9
represents four settings.
The TI-83 Plus retains the contrast setting in memory when it is turned
off.
To adjust the contrast, follow these steps.
1. Press and release the ykey.
2. Press and hold †or }, which are below and above the contrast
symbol (yellow, half-shaded circle).
• †lightens the screen.
• }darkens the screen.

TI-83 Plus Operating the TI-83 Plus Silver Edition 9
Note: If you adjust the contrast setting to 0, the display may become completely
blank. To restore the screen, press and release y, and then press and hold
}until the display reappears.
When to Replace Batteries
When the batteries are low, a low-battery message is displayed when
you:
• Turn on the calculator.
• Download a new application.
• Attempt to upgrade to new software.
To replace the batteries without losing any information in memory, follow
the steps in Appendix B.
Generally, the calculator will continue to operate for one or two weeks
after the low-battery message is first displayed. After this period, the
TI-83 Plus will turn off automatically and the unit will not operate.
Batteries must be replaced. All memory should be retained.
Note: The operating period following the first low-battery message could be
longer than two weeks if you use the calculator infrequently.

TI-83 Plus Operating the TI-83 Plus Silver Edition 10
The Display
Types of Displays
The TI-83 Plus displays both text and graphs. Chapter 3 describes
graphs. Chapter 9 describes how the TI-83 Plus can display a
horizontally or vertically split screen to show graphs and text
simultaneously.
Home Screen
The home screen is the primary screen of the TI-83 Plus. On this screen,
enter instructions to execute and expressions to evaluate. The answers
are displayed on the same screen.
Displaying Entries and Answers
When text is displayed, the TI-83 Plus screen can display a maximum of
8 lines with a maximum of 16 characters per line. If all lines of the display
are full, text scrolls off the top of the display. If an expression on the
home screen, the Y= editor (Chapter 3), or the program editor
(Chapter 16) is longer than one line, it wraps to the beginning of the next
line. In numeric editors such as the window screen (Chapter 3), a long
expression scrolls to the right and left.

TI-83 Plus Operating the TI-83 Plus Silver Edition 11
When an entry is executed on the home screen, the answer is displayed
on the right side of the next line.
Entry
Answer
The mode settings control the way the TI-83 Plus interprets expressions
and displays answers.
If an answer, such as a list or matrix, is too long to display entirely on
one line, an ellipsis (...) is displayed to the right or left. Press ~and |to
display the answer.
Entry
Answer
Returning to the Home Screen
To return to the home screen from any other screen, press y5.
Busy Indicator
When the TI-83 Plus is calculating or graphing, a vertical moving line is
displayed as a busy indicator in the top-right corner of the screen. When
you pause a graph or a program, the busy indicator becomes a vertical
moving dotted line.

TI-83 Plus Operating the TI-83 Plus Silver Edition 12
Display Cursors
In most cases, the appearance of the cursor indicates what will happen
when you press the next key or select the next menu item to be pasted
as a character.
Cursor Appearance Effect of Next Keystroke
Entry Solid rectangle
$A character is entered at the cursor; any
existing character is overwritten
Insert Underline
__ A character is inserted in front of the cursor
location
Second Reverse arrow
ÞA 2nd character (yellow on the keyboard) is
entered or a 2nd operation is executed
Alpha Reverse A
ØAn alpha character (green on the keyboard)
is entered or SOLVE is executed
Full Checkerboard
rectangle
#
No entry; the maximum characters are
entered at a prompt or memory is full
If you press ƒduring an insertion, the cursor becomes an underlined
A(A). If you press yduring an insertion, the underlined cursor becomes
an underlined #(#).
Graphs and editors sometimes display additional cursors, which are
described in other chapters.

TI-83 Plus Operating the TI-83 Plus Silver Edition 13
Entering Expressions and Instructions
What Is an Expression?
An expression is a group of numbers, variables, functions and their
arguments, or a combination of these elements. An expression evaluates
to a single answer. On the TI-83 Plus, you enter an expression in the
same order as you would write it on paper. For example, pR2is an
expression.
You can use an expression on the home screen to calculate an answer.
In most places where a value is required, you can use an expression to
enter a value.
Entering an Expression
To create an expression, you enter numbers, variables, and functions
from the keyboard and menus. An expression is completed when you
press Í, regardless of the cursor location. The entire expression is
evaluated according to Equation Operating System (EOSé) rules, and
the answer is displayed.

TI-83 Plus Operating the TI-83 Plus Silver Edition 14
Most TI-83 Plus functions and operations are symbols comprising
several characters. You must enter the symbol from the keyboard or a
menu; do not spell it out. For example, to calculate the log of 45, you
must press «45. Do not enter the letters L, O, and G. If you enter LOG,
the TI-83 Plus interprets the entry as implied multiplication of the
variables L, O, and G.
Calculate 3.76 ÷ (L7.9 + ‡5) + 2 log 45.
3Ë76 ¥£Ì7Ë9ÃyC
5¤¤Ã2«45 ¤
Í
Multiple Entries on a Line
To enter two or more expressions or instructions on a line, separate
them with colons (ƒ[:]). All instructions are stored together in last
entry (ENTRY) .
Entering a Number in Scientific Notation
To enter a number in scientific notation, follow these steps.

TI-83 Plus Operating the TI-83 Plus Silver Edition 15
1. Enter the part of the number that precedes the exponent. This value
can be an expression.
2. Press yD. åis pasted to the cursor location.
3. If the exponent is negative, press Ì, and then enter the exponent,
which can be one or two digits.
When you enter a number in scientific notation, the TI-83 Plus does not
automatically display answers in scientific or engineering notation. The
mode settings and the size of the number determine the display format.
Functions
A function returns a value. For example, ÷, L, +, ‡(, and log( are the
functions in the example on the previous page. In general, the first letter of
each function is lowercase on the TI-83 Plus. Most functions take at least
one argument, as indicated by an open parenthesis ( () following the
name. For example, sin( requires one argument, sin(value).

TI-83 Plus Operating the TI-83 Plus Silver Edition 16
Instructions
An instruction initiates an action. For example, ClrDraw is an instruction
that clears any drawn elements from a graph. Instructions cannot be
used in expressions. In general, the first letter of each instruction name
is uppercase. Some instructions take more than one argument, as
indicated by an open parenthesis ( () at the end of the name. For
example, Circle( requires three arguments, Circle(X,Y,radius).
Interrupting a Calculation
To interrupt a calculation or graph in progress, which is indicated by the
busy indicator, press É.
When you interrupt a calculation, a menu is displayed.
• To return to the home screen, select 1:Quit.
• To go to the location of the interruption, select 2:Goto.
When you interrupt a graph, a partial graph is displayed.
• To return to the home screen, press ‘or any nongraphing key.
• To restart graphing, press a graphing key or select a graphing
instruction.

TI-83 Plus Operating the TI-83 Plus Silver Edition 17
TI-83 Plus Edit Keys
Keystrokes Result
~or |Moves the cursor within an expression; these keys repeat.
}or †Moves the cursor from line to line within an expression that
occupies more than one line; these keys repeat.
On the top line of an expression on the home screen, }moves
the cursor to the beginning of the expression.
On the bottom line of an expression on the home screen, †
moves the cursor to the end of the expression.
y|Moves the cursor to the beginning of an expression.
y~Moves the cursor to the end of an expression.
ÍEvaluates an expression or executes an instruction.
‘On a line with text on the home screen, clears the current line.
On a blank line on the home screen, clears everything on the
home screen.
In an editor, clears the expression or value where the cursor is
located; it does not store a zero.
{Deletes a character at the cursor; this key repeats.
y6Changes the cursor to an underline (__); inserts characters in
front of the underline cursor; to end insertion, press y6or
press |, }, ~, or †.