TI-84 Plus and TI-84 Plus Silver Edition Guidebook

Important Things You Need to Know About Your TI-84 Plus

TI-84 Plus Results

There may be a number of reasons that your TI-84 Plus is not displaying the expected results; however, the most common solutions involve order of operations or mode settings. Your calculator uses an Equation Operating System™ (EOS™) which evaluates the functions in an expression in the following order:

1.

Functions that precede the argument, such as square root, sin(, or log(

2.

Functions that are entered after the argument, such as exponents, factorial, r,

¡, and conversions

3.

Powers and roots, such as 2^5, or 5*square root(32)

4.

Permutations (nPr) and combinations (nCr)

5.

Multiplication, implied multiplication, and division

6.

Addition and subtraction

7.

Relational functions, such as > or <

8.

Logic operator and

9.

Logic operators or and xor

Remember that EOS™ evaluates from left to right and calculations within parentheses are evaluated first. You should use parentheses where the rules of algebra may not be clear. In OS

2.53 MP, parentheses may be pasted in an expression to indicate how the input is interpreted.

If you are using trigonometric functions or performing polar and rectangular conversions, the unexpected results may be caused by an angle mode setting. The Radian and Degree angle mode settings control how the TI-84 Plus interprets angle values.

To change the angle mode settings, follow these steps:

1.

Press z to display the Mode settings.

2.

Select

Degree

or

Radian

.

3.

Press

Í to save the angle mode setting.

ERR:DIM MISMATCH Error

Your TI-84 Plus displays the

ERR:DIM MISMATCH

error if you are trying to perform an operation that references one or more lists or matrices whose dimensions do not match. For example, multiplying L1*L2, where L1={1,2,3,4,5} and L2={1,2} produces an

ERR:DIM MISMATCH

error because the number of elements in L1 and L2 do not match.

Appendix B: Reference Information 396

ERR:INVALID DIM Error

The

ERR:INVALID DIM

error message may occur if you are trying to graph a function that does not involve the stat plot features. The error can be corrected by turning off the stat plots. To turn the stat plots off, press y , and then select

4:PlotsOff

.

Link-Receive L1 (or any file) to Restore Message

Your TI-84 Plus displays the

Link-Receive L1 (or any file) to Restore message

if it has been disabled for testing, and not re-enabled. To restore your calculator to full functionality after testing, link to another TI-84 Plus and transfer any file to the disabled calculator, or use TI Connect™ software to download a file from your computer to your TI-84 Plus.

To transfer a file from another TI-84 Plus:

1.

On the receiving unit, press y 8 and then select

RECEIVE

.

2.

On the sending calculator, Press y 8.

3.

Select a file to send by selecting a category, and then selecting a file to send.

4.

Select

TRANSMIT

to send the file.

Contrast Feature

If the contrast setting is too dark (set to 9) or too dim (set to 0) the unit may appear as if it is malfunctioning or turned off. To adjust the contrast, press

and

release y, and then press and hold

} or †.

TI-84 Plus Identification Code

Your graphing calculator has a unique identification (ID) code that you should record and keep.

You can use this 14 digit ID to register your calculator at education.ti.com or identify your calculator in the event that it is lost or stolen. A valid ID includes numbers 0 through 9 and the letters A through F.

Appendix B: Reference Information 397

You can view the calculator’s Operating System, Product Number, ID, and Certificate Revision

Number from the

About

screen. To display the

About

screen, press y L and then select

1:About

.

Your unique product ID code: _____________________________

Backups

Your TI-84 Plus is similar to a computer, in that it stores files and Apps that are important to you. It is always a good idea to back up your graphing calculator device files and Apps using the

TI Connect™ software and a USB computer cable. You can find the specific procedures for backing up your calculator’s device files and Apps in the TI Connect™ Help file.

Apps

TI-84 Plus Software Applications (Apps) is software that you can add to your calculator in the same way you would add software to your computer. Apps let you customize your calculator for peak performance in specific areas of study. You can find apps for the TI-84 Plus at education.ti.com

.

TI-Cares KnowledgeBase

The TI-Cares KnowledgeBase provides 24-hour access through the Web to find answers to frequently asked questions. The TI-Cares KnowledgeBase searches its repository of known solutions and presents you with the solutions that are most likely to solve your problem. You can search the TI-Cares KnowledgeBase at education.ti.com/support.

Appendix B: Reference Information 398