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Below is a list of some of the basic calculator skills that are either essential or very useful for Math 131. You may not yet understand what all these skills mean, since some involve concepts yet to be taught in the course.
A good check of your calculator skills is to work the examples, and some of the exercises, in section 1.4 of the textbook. For Example 9 there (page 53), also find the equation’s solution using the built-in solve operation.
For help, in the first instance consult the manual for your calculator, or ask other students. Try the on-line TI-89 tutorial if you’re using a TI-89 or TI-89 Titanium. Or ask your professor or TA for help; be sure to bring the manual with you, especially if you’re not using the recommended calculator.
Basic calculator skills:
- set or reset the calculator mode to use radians;
- set or reset the mode to use floating point display and to increase the number of display digits;
- evaluate a function at a numerical input;
- evaluate a function at a symbolic input, e.g., evaluate f(2 + h) in terms of h if f(x) = e2x + cos (x3 + 5x);
- find the roots (zeros) of a polynomial; more generally…
- solve an equation (numerically, in case the calculator cannot solve it symbolically in exact form);
- graph a function within a window, as given by an x-interval and a y-interval;
- locate the “local minima” (valley bottoms) and “local maxima” (mountain tops) on the graph of a function;
- calculate the derivative of a function symbolically;
- graph together both a given function and its derivative;
- calculate Riemann sums of a function on an interval (see example here);
- find the exact value of a definite integral (blue integral sign key or integrate function, on Calc menu);
- approximate the value of a definite integral (nInt function, on Calc menu)
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