Create Programs on a TI 83 Graphing Calculator 

Calculator programming is a fun and easy way to enter the world of programming. You can program TI-BASIC directly on your calculator, and see immediate results from your code. You can create games, math and science programs, utilities, and much more. Calculator programming can even help you learn computer and mobile device programming. The steps in this article teach you to write a Heron's Formula program. If you want to learn TI-BASIC programming, take a look at the book Programming the TI-83+/84+; for questions, you should ask the experts.

Steps

  1. Hit [prgm]. This brings you to the program menu. Using the arrow keys, move over to NEW and hit [enter].
  2. Name your program. Depending on what equation you enter, you can name it after the equation, or you can call it whatever you want, but it can only use numbers and symbols and can only be 8 characters long. So, let's say you want to enter the formula for the area of any triangle. Its real name is Heron's Formula. So type in HERON or HERONS. I don't recommend TRIANGLE because there are so many triangle formulas out there.
  3. There should be a colon on the left of your blinking cursor. This is an entry. Each entry tells the calculator what to do.
  4. Hopefully you know the formula, if you don't... look it up. Hero's formula asks for the three sides of the triangle. The sides will be stored as the variables A,B,C. These can change each time, so you have to tell the calculator what it is. In order to do that you would need to use the prompt command. Hit [prgm] again. Move over to I/O (Input/Output) and move down to 2:Prompt. Hit [enter]. This takes you back to your creating screen.
  5. Type in A, B, C by hitting [second] [alpha] , [math] [apps] , [prgm]. The "," key is right above the 7. Do not put a period after the list. Then hit [enter].
  6. Type ".5(A+B+C)->D" the "->" button is right above the [on] button. It says "sto>" for store. (It's right above your "ON" button) Hit [enter]. The store command will store the number to the variable.
  7. Hit [2nd] [X^2] This gives you the root symbol. Continue to type "D(D-A)(D-B)(D-C)->E" and hit [enter].
  8. Hit [prgm] move over to I/O again, but this time go down to 3:Disp and hit [enter]. Hit [alpha] [sin] (which is E). Hit [enter] one last time. This will display the value of E.
  9. Try running the program. Exit the menu and go to [prgm] again. Move to your program and hit enter. It will ask you for the prompts, and will display the answer at the end.
  10. The final product should look like this:
    Prompt A,B,C
    .5(A+B+C)->D
    √(D(D-A)(D-B)(D-C))->E
    Disp E



Tips

  • You can also use the "Disp" command to make your programs easier for others to use. The first line of code for MY Heron's Triangle Program is :Disp "SIDE LENGTHS?" - the words in quotation marks appear when the program is used, reminding an unfamiliar user that you are prompting for the lengths of the sides.
  • If your program uses an angle, use the theta sign. You can find it by hitting [ALPHA][3]
  • There are many more complex things you can do. If you want to create many formulas in one program, for example, you want to combine Heron's formula with the Pythagorean theorem, you can create a menu. To do this, you need labels (Lbl).

Warnings

  • If you have a large exam/test that requires use of your TI-83 Graphing Calculator, it is likely your teacher/instructor/professor will reset your calculator. This will erase all programs you have on it. ~ Note: to prevent this, archive your programs as you enter it so when your RAM is cleared, your programs will remain on your calculator. Then, just unarchive them and use them normally. To archive them, hit 2nd, + (mem), 2, 7, and then find your program and hit enter on it.
  • A calculator can only hold so many programs. If you use all your memory, you cannot create more programs. A way to fix this is to download the app Doors CS 7 and archive your program, so your programs are used from the ARC instead of the RAM. You can even run the archived programs from the home screen.

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