Chapter 2. Get started with your calculator
This chapter covers
- How to type on your calculator, do basic math, and navigate menus
- Functions and arguments and how to use them
- Changing calculation modes
- Using your calculator’s equation-solving tools
Your graphing calculator is first and foremost a calculator. It can graph, calculate statistics and calculus, and run programs, but its primary job is to be great at math. The core of your calculator is the homescreen, the main area where you type math equations and read results. In this chapter, you’ll learn about performing math on the homescreen. I’ll teach you everything from finding the results of simple arithmetic like 2 + 2, to using mathematical functions like sine, ex, and absolute values, to solving an algebraic equation for an unknown variable.
In chapter 1, you saw five complete but specific examples of math, graphing, and statistics on your calculator. I walked you through the explanations, telling you exactly what buttons to press and what to do if you encountered any problems. This chapter will start out the same way. You’ll learn the simplest things, such as turning on your calculator and changing the brightness of the screen. You’ll learn how to use the keypad (keyboard) and what the 
and 
modifier keys do. I’ll ease you into simple and later more advanced math, with plenty of examples sprinkled among the new skills. I’ll also point out any important differences between skills on MathPrint and non-MathPrint calculators.