Texas Instruments TI-84 Plus CE User manual

Getting Started with the
TI-84 Plus CE
Graphing Calculator
This guidebook applies to software version 5.0. To obtain the latest version of
the documentation, go to education.ti.com/go/download .

ii
Important Information
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© 2015 Texas Instruments Incorporated

Contents
Important Information ii
Using Your TI-84 Plus CE Graphing Calculator 1
Key Features 1
Keyboard Basics 2
Turning the TI-84 Plus CE On and Off 2
Using the TI-84Plus CE Keyboard 3
Setting the Display Brightness 6
Using the Home Screen 7
Working with Menus 14
Setting Up the Calculator Modes 18
Setting Modes 18
Evaluating Expressions 28
Order of Operations 28
Entering Expressions and Instructions 30
Working with Graphs 35
Using Color on the TI-84 Plus CE 35
Using QuickPlot and Fit Equation 37
Working With Images 37
Using Pictures and Backgrounds 38
Working with Matrices 39
Working with Probability and Statistics 41
Working with Probability 41
Working with Statistics 42
Working with Variables 46
Using Variable Names 46
Storing Variable Values 48
Recalling Variable Values 49
Managing Calculator Files 51
Transferring the OS from calculator to calculator 51
Compatibility with Graphing Calculators 51
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iv
Using Applications (Apps) 54
Using Accessories 55
Using TI-SmartView™ CE 55
Using TI Connect™ CE 56
Using the TI Charging Station CE 56
Changing and Charging the Battery 59
Replacing TI Rechargeable Batteries 61
Using Press-to-Test 63
Setting Up Test Mode 63
Bringing a Calculator Out of Test Mode 65
Error Conditions 67
Diagnosing an Error 67
General Information 68
Texas Instruments Support and Service 68
Service and Warranty Information 68
Korean Class A warning statement 69
Index 70

Using Your TI-84 Plus CE Graphing Calculator
The TI-84 Plus CE graphing calculator comes with a USB cable, plenty of
storage and operating memory. It also comes pre-loaded with software
applications (Apps) to help you perform pre-algebra, calculus, biology,
chemistry, and physics calculations.
Key Features
•High resolution, full-color backlit display
- Distinguish between multiple graphs and plots with color-coded
equations, plots, and objects
- Make graphs easier to read by adding grid lines
•TI Rechargeable Battery
- Recharges using a USB cable, wall charger, or TI Charging Station
CE
•Familiar TI-84 Plus functionality
- Same menu structure and navigation as the TI-84 Plus family with
enhanced features
- Built-in MathPrint™ functionality to input and view math symbols,
formulas and stacked fractions
•Import and use images
- Use TI Connect™ CE Software to send images (.gif, .jpg, .png, .tif,
.bmp) from a computer to a calculator
- Graph on top of images to connect concepts to the real world
The built-in applications extend the functionality of your calculator, allowing
you to perform specific math and science functions and to deepen your
understanding of concepts. Some pre-loaded applications include:
• Cabri™ Jr. Geometry App • Inequality Graphing
• CellSheet App • Periodic Table
• Conic Graphing
Use this guide to learn more about these features and other essential tools of
your TI-84 Plus CE graphing calculator.
Using Your TI-84 Plus CE Graphing Calculator 1

2 Keyboard Basics
Keyboard Basics
Turning the TI-84 Plus CE On and Off
Turning the Graphing Calculator On
Press É.
An information screen displays:
• Press Àto continue to the home screen but not see this information screen
the next time you press É.
-or-
• Press Áto continue to the home screen.
Note: Any entry from this information screen will take you to the home
screen (a blank screen).
The information screen shows the following for information purposes only. You
must go to the home screen before you can complete the following.
• Press ƒ ^ -ato locate shortcut menus.
• Press Ãon most menu items for Catalog Help.
Note: This message also displays when you reset RAM.
You may see a shortcut menu located at [alpha] [F5] for interactive features
used in the graph area.

Turning the Graphing Calculator Off
Press y M.
• The Constant Memory™ function retains settings and memory, and clears
any error condition.
• Press }(if the home screen is blank), to scroll through the calculator
history.
• If you turn off the TI-84PlusCE and connect it to another graphing
calculator or personal computer, any communication will “wake" it up.
Automatic Power Down™ (APD™)
• To prolong battery-life, APD™ automatically turns the TI-84PlusCE off after
about five minutes of inactivity.
• If APD™ turns the graphing calculator off, it will return as you left it,
including the display, cursor, and any error.
Using the TI-84Plus CE Keyboard
Graph/Plot Setup Keys allow
access to interactive graphing
features. When some graph
screen features are active, you
may see a shortcut menu in the
ƒ b location for feature
options.
Editing Keys allow you to edit
expressions and values.
Math and Statistics Keys display
menus that access math, statistics,
and other basic functions.
Scientific Keys allow access to the capabilities of a standard scientific
calculator—including trigonometric functions.
Number Keys allows you to enter numbers.
Common Math Functions allow you to divide, multiply, subtract, and add.
Keyboard Basics 3

4 Keyboard Basics
Function Keys
yAccess the
second function
printed to the left
above each key.
ƒAccess the third
function printed to
the right above
each key.
ƒ ^ -aAccess shortcut
menus for fraction
templates, n/d,
quick matrix entry,
select MATH
menus, and VARS
menu functions.
ƒ b Access options for
the DRAW
command when
used in GRAPH.

Using the Function Keys
Primary
Function
• The function appears on the key.
Ex: to display the MATH menu, press ».
Secondary
Function
• The function appears above the key in the same color as
the ykey.
• When you press the ykey, the key name printed
above the other key becomes active for the next
keystroke.
Ex: to display the TEST menu, press yand then ».
• The flashing cursor becomes Þwhen you press y.Þ
may also appear in the status bar.
Third Function • The function appears above the key in the same color as
the ƒkey.
• The third function allows you to enter alphabetic
characters and special symbols, and to access SOLVE
and shortcut menus.
Ex: to display the letter A, press ƒand then ».
• To enter several alphabetic characters in a row, press
y 7to lock the alpha key in the ON position and
avoid having to repeatedly press ƒ. Press ƒagain
to unlock it.
• The flashing cursor becomes Øwhen you press ƒ.Ø
may also appear in the status bar.
Keyboard Basics 5

6 Keyboard Basics
Setting the Display Brightness
Adjusting the Display Brightness
You can adjust the display brightness to suit your viewing angle and lighting
conditions.
To adjust the brightness, follow these steps.
▶Press y † to darken the screen one level at a time.
▶Press y } to lighten the screen one level at a time.
The TI-84PlusCE retains the brightness setting in memory when it is turned
off.
Automatic Dimming
The TI-84PlusCE automatically dims the screen brightness after 90 seconds
of inactivity.
▶Press Éto return the screen to the preset brightness.
▶Pressing Éto adjust the brightness will not affect any of the current state of
your calculator work.

Using the Home Screen
Expressions
Answers
Use the home screen to enter instructions and evaluate expressions. Answers
appear on the same screen. Most calculations are stored in home screen
history. Press }and †to scroll through the entry history and paste the entries
or answers to the current entry line.
Enter a calculation.
1. Press y 5 from any screen until
you get back to the home screen.
2. Press y C 3¡ Ã 4¡ ~ Ã 6Í.
Note: When you are in a MathPrint™
template, the cursor turns into a right arrow
to indicate that you must press ~to get
out of the template before you continue
entering the calculation.
Keyboard Basics 7

8 Keyboard Basics
Displaying Entries and Answers
Mode settings control how the TI-84PlusCE interprets expressions and
displays answers. Press zto switch between classic entries and MathPrint™
mode. This guide focuses on MathPrint™ Mode, but may reference some
classic entries.
MathPrint™ Mode
• If an expression exceeds one line, it may scroll off the screen (on the home
screen or the Y=screen). Press ~to see the entire expression.
Tip: Press the cursor without pressing yto move the cursor along the
line.
• An arrow appears to the left of an answer if it scrolls off the screen. Press
~and |before you enter another expression to display the entire
answer.
Classic Entries MathPrint™
1/2
1
2
sqrt (5)
5
( )
nDerive x x , , 1
2
( )
x | x=1
d
dx
2
Some input areas in MathPrint™ mode only support classic entries.
Ex: y -
MathPrint™ (default)
Entry
Answer (Scrolls)
Entry
Answer

Scrolling Through the Home Screen History
If all lines of the display are full, text scrolls off the top of the display.
You can scroll up through previous entries and answers on the home screen,
even if you have cleared the screen. When you find an entry or answer that you
want to use, you can select it and paste it (press Í) on the current entry line.
Note: List and matrix answers cannot be copied and pasted to the new entry
line. However, you can copy the list or matrix command to the new entry line
and execute the command again to display the answer.
▶Press }or †to move the cursor to the entry or answer you want to copy
and then press Í.
The TI-84PlusCE highlights the entry the cursor is on to help you select
your desired choice.
The entry or answer that you copied is automatically pasted on the current
input line at the cursor location.
Note: If the cursor is in a MathPrint™ expression, such as the denominator
of a fraction, press ƒ } to move the cursor out of the expression and
then move the cursor to the entry or answer you want to copy to that
location in the MathPrint™ template.
▶Press ‘or {to delete an entry/answer pair. After an entry/answer pair
has been deleted, it cannot be displayed or recalled again.
Returning to the Home Screen
To return to the home screen from any other screen, press y 5 until you get
back to home screen.
Status Bar
The status bar displays on all screens and gives information about the selected
calculator mode settings, any context help available for the item you currently
have selected, and battery status.
Keyboard Basics 9

10 Keyboard Basics
The status bar may also show a busy indicator if the calculator is performing an
operation, Øto indicate the calculator is in alpha status, and Þto indicate the
secondary function is active.
Selected mode settings are displayed on the top line of the status bar when the
cursor is in the active entry area. Mode settings do not display when the cursor
is in the home screen history, since the mode may have been different for
previous calculations.
Tip:
Context help, if available, is displayed on the second line. The battery
status icon, busy indicator, alpha indicator, and second key indicator are
on the right. When you scroll into the home screen history, the context
help on the status bar displays HISTORY.
In the example below, the cursor is on the GridColor option. The context
help for how to change the GridColor using the spinner menu is
displayed on the second line of the status bar.
Selected MODE settings.
Context help for current cursor position.
Battery icon.
This area of the status bar also displays the busy indicator,
alpha indicator, and second key indicator, depending on the state of the
graphing calculator.

Using Shortcut Menus
ƒ ^
Opens FRAC menu.
ƒ _
Opens FUNC menu.
ƒ `
Opens MTRX menu.
ƒ a
Opens YVAR menu.
ƒ b
Opens special menus.
Shortcut menus allow quick access to the following:
^Templates to enter fractions, and to toggle between whole and mixed
fractions, and fractions and decimals.
_Selected functions from the MATH MATH and MATH NUM menus as
you would see them in a textbook, when in MathPrint™ mode. Functions
include absolute value, numeric differentiation, numeric integration,
summation, log base n, square root, permutations, combinations, and
factorials.
`Quick MathPrint™ matrix entry, when available.
aNames of function variables from the VARS Y-VARS menu.
To open a shortcut menu, press ƒplus the corresponding F-key: ^for
FRAC, _for FUNC, `for MTRX, afor YVAR, or bfor special menus within
interactive graph activities such as DRAW or QuickPlot and Fit Equation.
To select a menu item:
-either-
▶Press the number corresponding to the item.
-or-
▶Use the arrow keys to move the cursor to the appropriate line and then
press Í.
Keyboard Basics 11

12 Keyboard Basics
You can select all shortcut menu items except matrix templates using standard
menus. For example, you can choose the summation template from several
places:
FUNC shortcut menu
ƒ _
ycatalog
The shortcut menus are available to use where input is allowed. If the
calculator is in Classic mode, or if a screen is displayed that does not support
MathPrint™ display, entries will be displayed in Classic mode. The MTRX menu
is only available in MathPrint™ mode on the home screen and in the Y=editor.
Note: Shortcut menus may not be available if ƒplus F-key combinations are
used while an application is running.

Display Cursors
The cursor may change to indicate what will happen when you press the next
key or when you select the next menu item to be pasted as a character.
Note: The second cursor Þand alpha cursor Ømay appear on the status bar,
depending on the context.
Cursor Appearance Effect of Next Keystroke
Entry Solid
rectangle
$
This is the default cursor. Enter characters
at this cursor; this overrides any existing
character.
Insert Underline
__
Press y 6 for this cursor. Enter
characters in front of the cursor location.
Second Reverse
arrow
Þ
This allows you to enter a 2nd character or
complete a 2nd operation.
Alpha Reverse A
Ø
An alpha character is entered, SOLVE is
executed, or shortcut menus are displayed.
Full Checkerboard
rectangle
#
No entry; the maximum characters are
entered at a prompt or memory is full. Also
indicates the limit of the allowed MathPrint™
mode levels.
MathPrint™ Right arrow The cursor moves to either the next part of
the template or out of the template. Press
the right arrow to move out of all MathPrint™
templates before entering the remaining
terms in an expression.
If you press ƒduring an insertion, the cursor becomes an underlined A (A). If
you press yduring an insertion, the underlined cursors becomes an
underlined #(#).
Note: If you highlight a small character such as a colon or a comma and then
press ƒor y, the cursor does not change because the cursor width is too
narrow.
Keyboard Basics 13

14 Keyboard Basics
Working with Menus
You can access TI-84PlusCE commands using menus.
Displaying a Menu
• When you press a key to display a menu, that menu temporarily replaces
the screen where you are working.
•Ex: press »to display the MATH menu.
• After you select an item from a menu, the screen where you are working
usually displays again.
Note: If a context help message is in the status bar when you press a menu
that temporarily replaces the screen, that context help will remain in the
status bar as a reminder that you are working within a context.
Moving from One Menu to Another
Some keys access more than one
menu. When you press such a key, the
names of all accessible menus are
displayed on the top line. When you
highlight a menu name, the items in
that menu are displayed. Press ~and
|to highlight each menu name.
Note: FRAC shortcut menu items are
found in the FRAC menu, and are also
found on the MATH NUM menu. FUNC
shortcut menu items are also found on
the MATH MATH menu.
Scrolling a Menu
To scroll down the menu items, press †. To scroll up the menu items, press }.
To page down 9 menu items at a time, press ƒ †. To page up 9 menu items
at a time, press ƒ }.
To go to the last menu item directly from the first menu item, press }. To go to
the first menu item directly from the last menu item, press †.

Selecting an Item from a Menu
You can select an item from a menu in three ways.
▶Press the number or letter of the item you
want to select. The cursor can be
anywhere on the menu, and the item you
select does not need to be displayed on
the screen.
-or-
▶Press †or }to move the cursor to the item you want, and then press
Í.
-or-
▶Move the cursor to the item you want, and
then press Ã. For most commands, the
Catalog Help syntax editor displays the
correct syntax. Enter the syntax using the
displayed help, and then press ƒ a
to paste. The Catalog Help pastes the
complete command.
Press ƒ b to escape without pasting
the command.
Keyboard Basics 15

16 Keyboard Basics
Notes:
• After you select an item from a menu, the TI-84PlusCE typically displays
the previous screen.
• If you do not see PASTE on the Catalog Help screen, press y5 until
you return to the home screen, then repeat your actions. If this happens, it
may mean the screens were layered and the previous screen did not have
an active cursor on an input line to accept the pasting of the function or
command.
Leaving a Menu without Making a Selection
You can leave a menu without making a selection in these two ways.
• Press y 5 to return to the home screen.
-or-
• Press ‘to return to the previous screen.
Using Menus
When you press a key or key combination to display a menu, one or more
menu names appear on the top line of the screen.
• The menu name on the left side of the top line is highlighted. Up to nine
items in that menu are displayed, beginning with item 1.
• A number or letter identifies each item’s place in the menu. The order is 1
through 9, then 0, then A, B, C. Once number and letter options are
exhausted, the item number or letter area will be blank. Select these items
using the arrow keys.
• When the menu continues beyond the displayed items, a down arrow ($)
replaces the colon next to the last displayed item.
• When a menu item ends in an ellipsis (...), the item displays a secondary
menu, editor, or wizard when you select it.
• When an asterisk (ä) appears to the left of a menu item, that item is stored
in user data archive. Pic and Image Vars are always stored in archive
memory. You must move other files (displayed with an asterisk) from
archive to RAM in the MEM menu.