Texas Instruments TI-Nspire User manual

Getting Started with the
TI-Nspire™ Handheld
This guidebook applies to TI-Nspire™ software version 2.0. To obtain the
latest version of the documentation, go to education.ti.com/guides.

ii
Important Information
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implied, including but not limited to any implied warranties of
merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, regarding any
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and exclusive liability of Texas Instruments, regardless of the form of
action, shall not exceed the amount set forth in the license for the
program. Moreover, Texas Instruments shall not be liable for any claim of
any kind whatsoever against the use of these materials by any other
party.
© 2006-2009 Texas Instruments Incorporated

Contents
iii
Important Information................................................................... ii
Getting started with the TI-Nspire™ handheld.....................1
TI-Nspire™ handheld keys ............................................................. 1
Keyboard shortcuts ........................................................................ 2
Starting up your handheld ............................................................ 5
Opening the Getting Started document....................................... 7
Tips for navigating ......................................................................... 8
Walking through the document.................................................... 8
Getting more information ........................................................... 18
Appendix: Service and Support ...........................................21
Texas Instruments Support and Service....................................... 21
Service ........................................................................................... 21
Battery Precautions ...................................................................... 21
Index ......................................................................................23

iv

Getting started with the TI-Nspire™ handheld 1
Getting started with the TI-Nspire™
handheld
TI-Nspire™ handheld keys
doc
TI-Nspire Touchpad
TI-Nspire ™Touchpad
Use the center area as you
would a laptop touchpad.
Use the outer edges as
right, left, up, and down
arrows.
eMoves to the
next entry field.
/Provides access to
the function or
character shown
above each key. Also
enables shortcuts in
combination with
other keys.
cTurns on the
handheld. If the
handheld is on, this
key displays the home
menu.
~Opens the
Tools menu.
·Evaluates an
expression,
executes an
instruction, or
selects a menu
item.
gMakes the
next character typed
upper-case.
.Deletes the
previous character.
»Opens the
Scratchpad for
performing quick
calculations and
graphing.
dRemoves menus
or dialog boxes from
the screen. Also stops
a calculation in
progress.
hDisplays
stored variables.
bDisplays the
application or
context menu.
Use these multi-
purpose keys either
alone or in
combination with
other keys, such as
Ctrl.

2 Getting started with the TI-Nspire™ handheld
Keyboard shortcuts
Use the following keyboard shortcuts to perform common functions.
Getting Help
Opening Hints / μor / º
Editing Text
Cut /X
Copy /C
Paste /V
Undo /Z
/d
Redo /Y
gd
Toggle approximate and exact results /·
Change key to include appropriate accent ;
Inserting Characters, Symbols
Display character/symbol palette /k
Underscore /_
Display math template palette t
Backslash ( \ ) gp
Manual data capture point /^
Clear /.
Caps Lock /g
Store /h
Square brackets /(
Curly brackets /)
Display Trig symbol palette μ

Getting started with the TI-Nspire™ handheld 3
Equals symbol =
Display pi symbols palette
(p, ˆ, q, and so on),
¹
Display equality/inequality palette
(>, <, ƒ, ‚, )
/=
Display marks and letter symbols palette
(? ! $ ¡ ' " : ; _ \)
º
Square root /q
log /s
ln /u
ans /v
Managing Documents
Open document /O
Close document /W
Create new document /N
Insert new page /I
Select application /K
Save current document /S
Navigation
Top of page /7
End of page /1
Page Up /9
Page Down /3
Up a level in the hierarchy /£
Down a level in the hierarchy /6
Document menu ~

4 Getting started with the TI-Nspire™ handheld
Context menu for selection b
Switch between applications on a split page /e
Navigating in Documents
Displays previous page /¡
Displays next page /¢
Displays Page Sorter /£
Exits Page Sorter /6
Extends selection in direction of arrow gAny arrow
Moves focus backward within page ge
Wizards and Templates
Add a column to a matrix after the current
column g@
Add a row to a matrix after the current row @
Integration template g+
Derivative template g-
Math template palette tor /;
Fraction template /p
Modifying Display
Increase contrast /+
Decrease contrast /-
Power off /c
Using Application-Specific Shortcuts
Select all in Notes or Program Editor /A
Check syntax and store (in Program Editor) /B
Insert Data Collection console /D
Find (in Program Editor) /F

Getting started with the TI-Nspire™ handheld 5
Starting up your handheld
Installing batteries
1. Remove the keypad from the front of the handheld.
2. Insert the four alkaline AAA batteries provided with your handheld
into the battery compartment. Arrange the batteries according to
the polarity (+ and -) diagram in the battery compartment.
Hide/Show Entry Line (in Graph or Geometry)
Go To (in Lists & Spreadsheet, Program
Editor)
/G
Find and Replace (In Program Editor) /H
Insert math expression box (in Notes) /M
Open the Scratchpad »
Recalculate (in Lists & Spreadsheet) /R
Add Function Table (in Lists & Spreadsheet,
Graph, and Geometry) /T
Group/ungroup /4/ /6

6
AAA Battery Precautions
Take these precautions when replacing batteries.
• Do not leave batteries within the reach of children.
• Do not mix new and used batteries. Do not mix brands, or types
within brands, of batteries.
• Do not under any circumstances use rechargeable AAA batteries.
• Install batteries according to polarity (+ and -) diagrams.
• Properly dispose of used batteries immediately.
• Do not incinerate or dismantle batteries.
• Seek medical advice immediately if a cell or battery has been
swallowed.
About rechargeable batteries
• Do not under any circumstances use rechargeable AAA batteries in
your handheld. Use only AAA alkaline batteries.
Disposing of used batteries safely and properly
• Do not mutilate, puncture, or dispose of batteries in fire. The
batteries can burst or explode, releasing hazardous chemicals.
Discard used batteries according to local regulations.
Turning the handheld on and off
To turn on the handheld, press c.
To turn off the handheld, press /c. The next time you turn on the
handheld, it is in the same state as when you left it. The settings and
memory contents are retained.
Using Automatic Power Down™ to prolong battery life
To prolong battery life, Automatic Power Down™ (APD™) turns off the
handheld after several minutes of inactivity. The next time you turn on
the handheld, it is exactly as you left it.

Getting started with the TI-Nspire™ Handheld 7
Getting started with the TI-Nspire™
Handheld
This section guides you through the exercises in the Getting Started
document that is included on your handheld. That document gives you a
hands-on introduction to TI-Nspire™ applications.
Opening the Getting Started document
1. Make sure you have inserted the batteries, and press c.
2. Press 2to display the contents of the My Documents folder.
3. Press ¤on the Touchpad as necessary to select the Examples folder,
and then click (press aon the Touchpad) to open the folder.
4. Press ¤as necessary to select the Getting Started document, and
then click the document to open it.
Within a few seconds, the document opens to page 1.1. The page
number represents Problem 1, Page 1.

8 Getting started with the TI-Nspire™ Handheld
Tips for navigating
• Pressing /¢or /¡moves you through the Getting Started
document page-by-page. You can also use the Touchpad: Slide your
finger across the Touchpad to move the pointer to the ¢or ¡symbol,
and then click.
• If you leave the document unintentionally, you can press c4
to return to it.
• Each TI-Nspire™ application, such as Calculator or
Graphs & Geometry, has its own menu of commands and actions. Use
the bkey to display the current application’s menu.
• As you add pages, the page numbers for all remaining pages in the
current problem are incremented automatically. The page numbers
shown in the accompanying screen shots are those of the original
document. They might not match those on your handheld after you
add pages.
• You can leave the document open when turning off the handheld, or
you can close the document at any time by clicking the Close icon
in the upper right corner. If you have made changes, you are
prompted to save the changes.
Walking through the document
fFrom page 1.1, press /¢and read pages 1.2 through 1.4.
Page 1.4 describes some of the things you can do from the Home
menu.
fPress /¢and read the key descriptions on pages 2.1 through 2.3.

Getting started with the TI-Nspire™ Handheld 9
Page 2.3 mentions the scratchpad key, which is the »key on the
handheld.
fPress /¢to advance to page 2.4.
This page invites you to press »to open the Scratchpad and
experiment with some quick calculations and a graph. The
Scratchpad opens in front of the document.
Tip: While using the Scratchpad, you can press »to cycle quickly
between the Scratchpad Calculate and Scratchpad Graph pages.
– On the Scratchpad Calculate page, try entering a simple math
expressions such as 3*2^5, or press kand choose a function
from the Catalog. Press ·to evaluate the expression.
– On the Scratchpad Graph page, click the entry line at the bottom
and define a function such as f1(x)=sin(x).

10 Getting started with the TI-Nspire™ Handheld
fWhen you are ready to leave the Scratchpad and return to the
document, press d, and then press /¢to advance to page 2.5.
Tip: Although the Scratchpad is separate from the document, your
Scratchpad work is retained for the next time you open it.
Adding a Calculator page
fPress /¢to advance to page 2.6, and follow the instructions to add
a Calculator page.
The Calculator icon on the Home menu looks like this:
Tip: Unlike the Scratchpad Calculate page, this new page becomes
part of the document.

Getting started with the TI-Nspire™ Handheld 11
fAfter performing some calculations on the new Calculator page,
press /¢to advance to the next page. That page and the one
following it have split screens, with a Calculator window at the top
where you can experiment with math expressions. Split screens are
explained on a third page.
Tip: When you press bon a split screen, the menu for the active
application window is displayed. If you see the wrong menu, you
may need to switch to the correct window and try again.

12 Getting started with the TI-Nspire™ Handheld
Adding a Graph
fPress /¢to advance to page 3.1, and follow the instructions.
Tip: To read text that is past the top or bottom of the window, click
the arrow at the top or bottom of the scroll bar.
The Graphs icon on the Home menu looks like this:
fAfter adding a Graph page and defining the function, press /¢to
advance to the next page. Follow the instructions for editing the
function.
fPress /¢to advance to two more split screens, where you can
experiment with modifying a function definition interactively.

Getting started with the TI-Nspire™ Handheld 13
Adding a Geometry object
fPress /¢to advance to the next page, and follow the instructions.
The Geometry icon on the Home menu looks like this:

14 Getting started with the TI-Nspire™ Handheld
fOn the new Geometry page, press b9to choose shapes. Use
the Touchpad to draw the shapes. To stop drawing and restore the
selection pointer, press d.
fPress /¢to advance to the split screen on the next page. Click in
the Graphs & Geometry window at the top, and follow the
instructions to measure properties of the triangle.
Adding a Lists & Spreadsheet page
fPress /¢to advance to page 4.1.
The goal in Problem 4 is to create two lists containing time and
distance value-pairs and then analyze the data on a Data & Statistics
page within the same problem.
The Lists & Spreadsheet icon on the Home menu looks like this:
Tip: After typing data such as a list name or numeric value into a cell,
press ¤or ·to complete the entry and move to another cell.

Getting started with the TI-Nspire™ Handheld 15
fAfter naming the time and distance columns, press /¢to advance
to the next page, and follow the instructions for adding the data.
Remember that you can press /¡to return to your
Lists & Spreadsheet page and enter the data.
Tip: The gray row under the column names is for column formulas
and is not used in these exercises.
When you have entered the data, your Lists & Spreadsheet page
should look like this:
Naming the lists makes them available as shared variables to all
pages in Problem 4.
Analyzing the lists with Data & Statistics
fPress /¢to advance to the page titled Data & Statistics. Follow the
instructions to create a Data & Statistics page and assign your lists to
axes.

16 Getting started with the TI-Nspire™ Handheld
The Data & Statistics icon on the Home menu looks like this:
After you have selected your time and distance data for horizontal
and vertical axes, your page should look like this:
fPress /¢to advance to the page shown below, and follow the
steps to add a moveable line.
fTo drag the line, move the pointer to it and press /a. The
pointer changes to a grab hand ({) to show that you can drag. The
equation represented by the line is displayed as you move and rotate
the line.
– To move the line, drag it from its center.
– To change the slope of the line, drag it from either end.
– To stop dragging, press d.
Your Data & Statistics page should look similar to this: