Calculator Instructions

Texas Instruments
TI-84 Plus CE
Contents: A Getting started
B Special buttons
C Memory
D Working with lists
E Working with functions
2 TEXAS INSTRUMENTS TI-84 PLUS CE

A GETTING STARTED
The TI-84 Plus CE is based around a single calculator screen, from which all different
functions can be accessed by pressing particular buttons.
Note: Pressing 2nd then mode (quit) in the upper left corner will always take
you back to this screen.

SETTINGS
The words at the top of the screen give an overview of what settings your calculator is
currently using.
Adjust these settings at any time by pressing mode .
Use N and H to move through the list, then use J and I to select a particular
setting, and press enter to confirm your selection.

B SPECIAL BUTTONS
The TI-84 Plus CE features many buttons that you may already be familiar with if you have used a scientific calculator,
for example. Some buttons may be unfamiliar, so we cover the most frequently used ones in this section, and others as
needed in the calculator instructions throughout the book.

GENERAL BUTTONS
N I H J These buttons are used for moving the cursor, navigating menus, and scrolling through calculations.

enter This button evaluates expressions.

That is, if you have typed in a calculation, pressing enter will give you the result of that calculation.
It is also used for selecting menu items, and entering data into lists.
del This deletes characters and symbols while they are being edited.
The character that will be deleted is the one currently highlighted by the cursor, not the one to the
left as you may be used to.
clear This button clears the entry currently being edited, depending on context.
For example, press it while entering a calculation to remove everything you have entered so far.
Press it on the main calculator screen while not entering a calculation to clear the whole screen.
Note: In the latter context, the previous entries are not deleted, they are just cleared them from the
screen, so you can return to them later.

MODIFIER BUTTONS
2nd This button allows you to access the secondary function of any other button.
The secondary function is printed in blue above the button.
alpha This button allows you to access the alpha function of any button.
This is printed in green above the button, and is how letters are entered into the calculator.
Letters can be used to store values which can be recalled later.

Note: When using these buttons, we write the secondary function alongside the modified button in brackets.
For example, we press 2nd mode (quit) to return to the main calculator screen.
 TEXAS INSTRUMENTS TI-84 PLUS CE 3

BRACKETS

( ) These buttons are used to enter left and right brackets respectively.

In mathematics, expressions within brackets are evaluated before expressions outside brackets, and this is how your
calculator works too.
For example, to evaluate 2+4
8 you must enter ( 2 + 4 ) ÷ 8 enter .

If you were to enter 2 + 4 ÷ 8, this would be interpreted as 2 + 84 , and the result would be different.
Note: It is good practice to place brackets around any expression which should be evaluated before another.
The TI-84 Plus CE allows the right bracket to be left out if it is the last character, but you should always use it to
avoid confusion.

NEGATIVE NUMBERS
The TI-84 Plus CE has two different buttons for working with negative numbers, which are not interchangeable.

− This is the minus button. It is used to subtract one value from another.

(−) This is the negative button. It is used to indicate a negative number.

Suppose you want to evaluate −6 + 5. To do so, you must enter (−) 6 + 5, as you are taking a negative number,
and adding to it.
Evaluating 5 − 6 would of course produce the same result, but to evaluate this you would enter 5 − 6, as you are
subtracting a positive number.

POWERS AND ROOTS

x2 This button is used to square values.

x−1 This is used to calculate inverses.

For example, to evaluate an expression like 5,
1
it is often easier to enter 5 x−1 instead.
∧ This is the general power button. It allows you to raise a number to any power, including all those
listed above.
√
2nd x2 ( ) This enters a square root.
√
Note: For higher roots, press math , select 5: x
from the MATH menu, and enter the
values in the boxes provided.

TRIGONOMETRIC AND INVERSE TRIGONOMETRIC FUNCTIONS

sin cos tan These buttons are used to enter the functions sine, cosine, and tangent, respectively.
The secondary functions of the above buttons give you the inverse trigonometric functions.

SCIENTIFIC NOTATION
If a number is too large or too small to be displayed neatly on the screen, it will be expressed in scientific notation, which is
the form a × 10k where 1 6 a < 10 and k is an integer.

2nd , (EE) This button combination allows you to write numbers in scientific notation.
For example, to enter 2.31 × 1012 , enter 2.31 2nd , (EE) 12.
4 TEXAS INSTRUMENTS TI-84 PLUS CE

Note: Any numbers more than 10 digits long will be displayed in scientific notation.
The TI-84 Plus CE displays the expression ×10 as E.

MATHEMATICAL CONSTANTS
Mathematical constants are usually found as secondary functions. For example, press 2nd ∧ (π) to enter π.

MATHEMATICAL AND STATISTICAL FUNCTIONS

math This button takes you to a menu where you can

find many common mathematical functions.
stat This button takes you to a menu where you can
find the list editor, and perform statistical tests.

Press J and I to move between the different menus, and use N and H to scroll through the list of functions.
Alternatively, you may press the number associated to the function you want.
For example, to convert a number to fractional form, press math , highlight 1: IFrac from the MATH menu, and
press enter . You could also press 1 within the MATH menu to access the function 1: IFrac.

FUNCTION CATALOG
If you know what a function is called, but do not know where to find it, you may press
2nd 0 (catalog) to access the function catalog.

To jump to entries beginning with M, for example, press alpha ÷ (M).

C MEMORY
The memory features of the TI-84 Plus CE allow you to recall calculations you have performed previously. This can save
time, and enable you to maintain accuracy in your calculations.

SPECIFIC STORAGE TO MEMORY

Values can be stored in memory, and given names using the letters A, B, ...., Z. Storing a value in memory is useful if you
plan to enter it more than once.
Suppose we wish to store the number 15.4829 for use in a number of calculations.
To store this number in the variable A, enter 15.4829, then press sto → alpha
math (A) enter .

We can add 10 to this value by pressing alpha math (A) + 10 enter , or cube it
by pressing alpha math (A) ∧ 3 enter .

THE ANS VARIABLE

The variable Ans stores the most recent result, and can be accessed by pressing 2nd (−) (ans).
For example, suppose you evaluate 3 × 4, then wish to subtract this from 17.
 TEXAS INSTRUMENTS TI-84 PLUS CE 5

This can be done by pressing 17 − 2nd (−) (ans) enter .

If you start an expression with an operator such as + , − , or x2 , the previous

answer is automatically inserted ahead of the operator.
For example, the previous answer can be halved by pressing ÷ 2 enter .

RECALLING PREVIOUS EXPRESSIONS

Pressing the N key allows you to recall and edit previously evaluated expressions and results.
This function is useful if you wish to repeat a calculation with a minor change, or if you have made a typing error.
To recall a previous expression, press the N key until the desired entry is highlighted, then press enter .
The expression then appears in the current entry line, where it can be edited.

D WORKING WITH LISTS

Lists enable us to store sets of data, which we can then analyse and compare. They are particularly useful whenever we are
interested in calculating statistics.
On the TI-84 Plus CE, lists are accessed by pressing stat and selecting 1: Edit... from the EDIT menu.

ENTERING LISTS
Press stat , then select 1: Edit... from the EDIT menu to access the list editor screen.
To enter the data {2, 5, 1, 6, 0, 8} into L1 , start by moving the cursor to the first entry
of L1 , then press 2 enter , 5 enter , ...., until all the data is entered.

DELETING LIST DATA

To delete a single entry, highlight it and press del . This will move all entries below up one position.
You can replace an entry instead by highlighting it, and then entering the new value.
New entries can also be inserted above an existing entry by pressing 2nd del (ins).
To delete an entire list of data from the editor screen, move the cursor to the heading of the list you wish to delete, press
clear then enter .

REFERENCING LISTS
Lists can be referenced using the secondary functions of the number keys 1 , ...., 6 .
For example, to add 2 to each element of L1 and display
the results in L2 , move the cursor to the heading of L2 and
press 2nd 1 (L1 ) + 2.

Press enter to fill L2 .

We can also reference these lists from the main calculator screen.
6 TEXAS INSTRUMENTS TI-84 PLUS CE

For example, suppose we want to find the sum of the values in the new list L2 .
First press 2nd mode (quit), then access the sum( function by pressing 2nd
stat (list), then selecting 5: sum( from the MATH menu.

Press 2nd 2 ) enter to evaluate the expression.

So, 4 + 7 + 3 + 8 + 2 + 10 = 34.

E WORKING WITH FUNCTIONS

ENTERING, GRAPHING AND DELETING FUNCTIONS
Pressing y = brings up the function editor, where you can store functions to graph.

To graph the function y = x2 − 3x − 5, move the cursor to Y1 , and press X,T ,θ,n
x2 − 3 X,T ,θ,n − 5 enter .
This stores the function in Y1 .
You can delete any unwanted functions by scrolling to the appropriate entry, Y1 for
example, and pressing clear .

Press graph to draw a graph of the function.

ADJUSTING THE VIEW WINDOW

When graphing functions it is important that you are able to view all the important features of the graph.
As a general rule it is best to start with a large viewing window so all the features of the graph are visible, and then make
the window smaller if necessary.
To do this, press window and set the minimum and maximum values for the x-axis
using Xmin and Xmax, and for the y-axis using Ymin and Ymax.

Some useful commands for adjusting the view window are accessed by pressing zoom . These include:

6: ZStandard: This gives a view window with −10 6 x 6 10, −10 6 y 6 10.
7: ZTrig: This gives a view window with − 11π
4 6x6 4 ,
11π
−4 6 y 6 4.
0: ZoomFit: This scales the y-axis to fit the minimum and maximum values of
the displayed graph within the current x-axis range.

FINDING POINTS OF INTERSECTION

Finding intersection points of the graphs of two (or more) functions is a useful technique when solving equations.
12 − x
Suppose we want to find the intersection point of the graphs of the functions y = 11 − 3x and y = .
2
 TEXAS INSTRUMENTS TI-84 PLUS CE 7
12 − x
Press y = , then store 11 − 3x in Y1 , and in Y2 .
2

Press graph to draw a graph of the functions.

To find their point of intersection, press 2nd trace (calc), then select 5: intersect.
Press enter twice to specify the functions Y1 and Y2 as the functions you want to
find the intersection of, then use the arrow keys to move the cursor close to the point of
intersection and press enter once more.
So, the graphs intersect at (2, 5).

FINDING x-INTERCEPTS
Finding the x-intercepts of the graph of a function is particularly useful for finding the roots of polynomials.
Suppose we want to find the x-intercepts of the graph of the function y = x2 + 2x − 8.
Press y = and enter x2 + 2x − 8 into Y1 , then press graph .

To find the first x-intercept, press 2nd trace (calc), then select 2: zero.
Move the cursor to a point to the left of the x-intercept, then press enter .
Move the cursor to a point to the right of the x-intercept, then press enter .
Finally, move the cursor to the approximate location of the x-intercept and press enter
once more.
The x-intercept x = −4 is given.
Repeat this process to find the remaining x-intercept x = 2.

TABLE OF VALUES
To view a table of values for the function, press 2nd graph (table).

The starting point and interval of the table values can be adjusted by pressing 2nd
window (tblset).