Chapter 1. What can your calculator do?
Figure 1.1. Calculators covered in this book (from left): TI-83 Plus, TI-83 Plus Silver Edition, TI-84 Plus, TI-84 Plus Silver Edition, TI-84 Plus C Silver Edition, and TI-84 Plus CE. The focus is on the TI-84 Plus models, although most of the skills and examples also apply to the TI-83 Plus, TI-83, TI-82, and TI-82 Stats.
Figure 1.2. Measuring the volume of a cube. On the left, a cube with 9-inch sides. You can calculate its volume by multiplying width × length × height. On the right, the top 3 inches of the cube are cut off, and you want to find the volume of the new box that is 6 inches high instead of 9 inches.
Figure 1.3. Two different ways to calculate the volume of a cube with 9-inch edges. On the left, multiply width × length × height to get the volume, 729. You can also cube 9 by raising it to the third power, which means multiplying the number by itself three times (right). Depending on what calculator type and version you have, your results will look like either the top or bottom; section 1.3 will explain more.
Figure 1.4. Calculating the volume of the 9-inch cube with the top 3 inches sliced off. The last line shows the same calculation using the key instead of typing 9 × 9.