How to Use a Texas Instrument TI-83

Power On or Off

• 1

  Push the black "On" key in the left bottom corner of the TI-83 Plus to turn on the calculator.

• 2

  Push the orange "2nd" button in the left top corner of the TI-83 Plus and then press the "On" button to turn the calculator off.

• 3

  Allow the calculator to automatically shut off by leaving it on for an extended period of time. All information that you last input will appear on the screen when you turn the TI-83 Plus back on. This feature helps conserve battery life if you forget to turn the calculator off manually.

Adjust Screen Contrast

• 4

  Push the orange "2nd" button.

• 5

  Hold down the purple "up" arrow key in the top right corner of the TI-83 Plus to make the screen darker.

• 6

  Hold down the purple "down" arrow key in the top right corner of the TI-83 Plus to make the screen lighter.

Enter Expressions

• 7

  Enter numbers using the white numerical keys in the bottom center of the TI-83 Plus.

• 8

  Enter common mathematical symbols such as division, multiplication, subtraction and addition using the corresponding purple keys along the right side of the TI-83 Plus.

• 9

  Enter common functions into your expression by pressing the corresponding key on the calculator.

• 10

  Press the orange "2nd" button followed by any key with an orange character above it, to enter that character into the expression. Common functions such as pi and square roots require the use of the "2nd" button.

• 11

  Press the green "Alpha" button followed by any key with a green character above it, to enter that character into the expression.

• 12

  Press the "Enter" button to calculate the expression or solve an equation.

Create Basic Graph

• 13

  Press the purple "Y=" key at the top of the TI-83 Plus.

• 14

  Input the basic slope formula for your graph into the "Y" field to graph a sloped line or just enter a single number to graph a horizontal line. For example input "5X+2" to graph a line with a slope of "5" that crosses the Y axis at "2" or simply input "2" for a horizontal line that crosses the Y axis at "2." Note that each "Y" field represents a separate line; you can graph multiple lines.

• 15

  Press the purple "Graph" button at the top of the TI-83 Plus to view the line on the graph.

• 16

  Press "2nd" and press the purple "Window" key at the top of the TI-83 Plus to change the parameters and size of the graph.