Chapter 1. What can your calculator do?
This chapter covers
- Hands-on examples of your calculator’s features
- Using your calculator faster and better
- MathPrint and why you might need it
A graphing calculator is one of the most powerful tools you can use in school or at work. From the name, you can guess that it’s great at math, from the simplest arithmetic like 2 + 2, to calculating statistics and multiplying matrices. It’s also a pro at graphing and helping you understand its graphs. You can use your graphing calculator for algebra, trigonometry, precalculus, and calculus; you can even use it to write programs and games. If you’re a student or teacher, a graphing calculator can be used in every math subject from middle school to college, as well as in science and computer classes. Many graphing calculators are available from Texas Instruments, HP, and Casio; this book focuses on the TI-83 Plus, TI-84 Plus, TI-83 Plus Silver Edition, TI-84 Plus Silver Edition, and TI-84 Plus C Silver Edition, but it can help you use all the calculators shown in figure 1.1.
Figure 1.1. Calculators covered in this book (from left): TI-82, TI-83, TI-83 Plus, TI-83 Plus Silver Edition, TI-84 Plus, TI-84 Plus Silver Edition, and TI-84 Plus C Silver Edition. The focus is on the TI-83 Plus and TI-84 Plus models, although most of the skills and examples also apply to the TI-82, TI-83, and TI-82 Stats.fr.
