The TI-83 Plus is, to my mind, more like a computer than a calculator. \u00a0Most of my students aren’t allowed to use it on tests, yet some are.<\/p>\n
One difference between a typcial scientific calculator and the TI-83 Plus is that, with the TI-83 Plus, so many of its useful functions need to be called from menus. \u00a0If you don’t know about a given menu, you may not have access to a function you need. \u00a0Such things are easy to find when you’re leisurely browsing from button to button with a cup of coffee, but often much harder to find when you’re unfamiliar with the calculator and writing a test.<\/p>\n
An example is the fraction function, >Frac<\/span>, which is located in the MATH menu. From the home screen (just press 2nd MODE to get there, then CLEAR if you need to), press the MATH button. You’ll see >Frac<\/span> at the top: it’s choice 1. Now, press 2nd MODE to return to the main screen.<\/p>\n >Frac<\/span> will normally be entered after a number or calculation.<\/p>\n Example<\/strong>: Find the answer to 2\/3 + 1\/11 – 3\/4 in fraction form.<\/p>\n Solution:<\/p>\n Key in the following: <\/p>\n 2\u00f73 + 1\u00f711 – 3\u00f74 MATH 1 ENTER<\/span><\/p>\n Hopefully you receive the answer 1\/132<\/span>.<\/p>\n You can also use >Frac<\/span> to reduce a fraction:<\/p>\n Example<\/strong>: Give 289\/561 in reduced form.<\/p>\n Solution: Key in 289\u00f7561 MATH 1 ENTER<\/span><\/p>\n Hopefully, you receive the answer 17\/33<\/span><\/p>\n You can even use >Frac<\/span> to convert a decimal into a fraction.<\/p>\n Example<\/strong>: Give 0.428571428571….. as a fraction.<\/p>\n Solution: I find you need to give it around twelve or thirteen digits to convey the idea it’s a repeating decimal. Key in<\/p>\n 0.428571428571 MATH 1 ENTER<\/span><\/p>\n Hopefully, you receive the answer 3\/7<\/span><\/p>\n With such a plethora of useful functions, plus its graphing capabilities, the TI-83 Plus is almost too powerful for high school use. However, it will provide a veritable playground for future posts:)<\/p>\n Source: TI-83 Plus GUIDEBOOK, Texas Instruments, Inc., 1999.<\/p>\n