How do you use the classic TI-84 Plus with the black and white screen?

Do I have a TI-84 Plus or a TI-84 Plus CE?

Look at the screen. The TI-84, TI-84 Plus, TI-84 Plus Silver Edition and TI-83 Plus have a black and white display. The TI-84 Plus CE, the CE Python and the TI-84 Plus C Silver Edition have a color display. Both families share most commands, but the screens look different and some steps change, so each family has its own guidebook.

If your calculator has a color screen, read how to learn the TI-84 Plus CE. If it opens a grid of icons when you switch it on, you have a TI-84 Evo. The comparison of all models puts them side by side.

How do the basic keys work on the TI-84 Plus?

• Second functions: the blue labels above the keys. Press 2ND, then the key.
• Letters: the green labels. Press ALPHA first. 2ND ALPHA turns on Alpha-Lock for several letters, and ALPHA turns it off again.
• Leave a menu: 2ND MODE (QUIT) returns to the home screen.
• Delete and insert: DEL deletes the character under the cursor, CLEAR erases the whole entry, and 2ND DEL (INS) inserts characters instead of typing over them.
• Reuse an entry: press ▲ to scroll through previous entries, highlight one and press ENTER to paste it into the entry line.

When a key sequence lists several keys, press them one after another, never at the same time. Most menus have more than one page; switch with ◄ ►. Select an item by its number, or highlight it and press ENTER.

Which mode settings should I use?

Press MODE. For high school math, select the settings on the left side and switch STAT DIAGNOSTICS to ON, so r and r² appear after a regression. If your mode menu has a STAT WIZARD row, turn it on: it opens an input form for commands such as regressions.

Some rows have their own names on the black and white models: FUNC, PAR, POL and SEQ for the graph type, CONNECTED or DOT for the line, and FULL, HORIZ or G-T for the screen layout. RADIAN and DEGREE decide how angles are read, so check that row before every trigonometry problem.

How do I graph a function on the TI-84 Plus?

1. Press Y= to open the Y= editor.
2. Type your function next to Y1. The variable X comes from the X,T,θ,n key.
3. To add a second function, press ENTER and type it next to Y2.
4. Press GRAPH.
5. If the graph is not visible, press ZOOM › ZStandard (x and y from −10 to 10), or enter your own values in WINDOW.

To draw only some of your functions, move the cursor onto the equals sign of a function in Y= and press ENTER. That switches the function off or on; it stays stored either way. Grid, axes and coordinates are set in 2ND ZOOM (FORMAT).

How do I find zeros and intersections on the TI-84 Plus?

1. Graph the function and press 2ND TRACE (CALC) › 2: zero.
2. Move the cursor with ◄ ► to a point left of the zero and press ENTER (Left Bound). You can also type an x-value.
3. Do the same to the right of the zero (Right Bound).
4. Move near the zero and press ENTER (Guess). The result appears at the bottom of the screen.

3: minimum and 4: maximum work the same way. For the point where two graphs cross, choose 5: intersect, confirm the first and the second function with ENTER, and make a guess near the crossing.

How do I solve an equation on the TI-84 Plus?

The graphical method works for any equation. Enter the left side as Y1 and the right side as Y2, then find every intersection with 2ND TRACE (CALC) › 5: intersect. Each intersection is one solution.

The Equation Solver opens with MATH ▲ ENTER. On the black and white models it starts with 0=, so rearrange the equation to zero first: 2(X+1) = 6X+0.5 becomes 2(X+1)−(6X+0.5). Confirm with ENTER, enter a guess for X, place the cursor on the X line and press ALPHA ENTER (SOLVE).

How do I enter fractions and negative numbers?

• Fraction templates: in MATHPRINT mode, ALPHA Y= (F1) opens the FRAC shortcut menu with n/d, Un/d and two conversion commands.
• Convert a result: MATH › 1: Frac or 2: Dec, then ENTER.
• Negative numbers: use the negation key (-), not the subtraction key. Put a negative base in parentheses before raising it to a power: −2² gives −4, while (−2)² gives 4.
• The previous answer: start a new entry with an operator such as + and the calculator inserts Ans automatically. 2ND (-) (ANS) pastes it anywhere.

What is different on the TI-84 Plus CE?

• The display. The CE has a color screen, and every function in the Y= editor gets its own color and line style.
• The Equation Solver. On the CE you type both sides of the equation into E1 and E2. On the black and white models you rearrange to 0= first.
• Mode rows. CONNECTED and DOT on the TI-84 Plus become THICK, DOT-THICK, THIN and DOT-THIN on the CE.
• Screens. Menus and results look different, which is why each guidebook shows the screens of one model family only.

Which guidebook fits the black and white TI-84 Plus?

The TI-84 Plus Guidebook by Marco Wenisch is intended for use with the TI-84, TI-84 Plus, TI-84 Plus Silver Edition and TI-83 Plus. It is available as a paperback and for Kindle, with pictures of the real keys inside the text.

Its seven chapters cover first steps and mode settings, graphing, analyzing functions (zeros, extrema, intersections, derivatives, tangents), solving equations, integrals and areas, matrices, and statistics and probability. Laminated reference cards exist for the TI-84 Plus CE and the TI-84 Evo, not for the black and white models.