Getting started
TI-85/86 calculators, 6
4
3757
•
To put the commands on one line for possible later editing, press
7
STO
I
A
ALPHA
2nd
:
6
STO
I
B
ALPHA
2nd
:
5
STO
I
C
ALPHA
2nd
:
4
STO
I
D
ALPHA
2nd
:
ALPHA
A
+
ALPHA
B
×
ALPHA
C
∧
ALPHA
D
so the screen
reads 7
→
A
: 6
→
B
: 5
→
C
: 4
→
D
:
A
+
B
∗
C
∧
D
. Press
ENTER
to store the values of
A, B, C
and
D
and calculate the answer. The colon (above the period key) separates two commands on
one line. The
ALPHA
keys are needed because
STO
I
locks the calculator in upper-case alpha
mode.
5.
0
.
422549020007
•
Use
(
1
÷
2
)
LOG
(
7
)
ENTER
.
6.
1
.
3202247191
×
10
13
•
Use
(
1
.
3
4
EE
6
−
4
EE
5
)
÷
(
7
.
1
2
EE
(–)
8
)
ENTER
.
7.
2
.
00509554966
•
Use
2nd
√
(
4
+
7
∧
(
8
−
1
0
)
)
ENTER
.
8.
16
•
TI-85 and TI-86 calculators evaluate
x
1
/n
for negative
x
and odd integers
n
, but do
not always give the correct, real value of
x
m/n
with negative
x
, odd
n
, and
m
an integer
>
1. It is generally best to write
x
m/n
as (
x
m
)
1
/n
for odd
n
. The keys
(-)
3
2
∧
(
4
÷
5
)
ENTER
give the wrong result(
−
16) since the negation is perfomed after the
power. The symbols
(
(-)
3
2
)
∧
(
4
÷
5
)
ENTER
probably yield, on a TI-
85, (
−
12
.
94427191
,
9
.
40456403668) representing
−
12
.
94 9
.
40456403668
i
, which is the
approximate decimal value of one of the complex four-fifth roots of
−
32, rather than the real
four-fifth root 16. These symbols, however, give the correct result on a TI-86. The expressions
(
(-)
3
2
)
∧
4
∧
(
1
÷
5
)
ENTER
and
(
(-)
3
2
)
∧
(
1
÷
5
)
∧
4
ENTER
give the correct result, since for any positive odd integer
n
and negative
x
, the
calculator interprets
x
∧
(1
/n
) as the negative
n
th root of
x
.
