How to Program Formulas
Look below for videos and walk-throughs on how to program your Graphing Calculator!
Much of the information on this page was found at McElroy Tutoring Site.
Please visit their site for some more great tips on the ACT!
Have a friend?!
If you have a friend who has programmed these formulas into their calculator, you can also use a Link Cable (TI-83) or Mini USB to Mini USB Cable (TI-84 and above) to transfer the programs directly from your friend's calculator to yours.
Great thing to remember, the key is quality over quantity. It's easy to simply download every program you can find, but it helps to find a few useful programs and stick with those.
HOW TO ENTER THE FORMULAS INTO YOUR CALCULATOR
Imagine your Texas Instruments calculator buttons as a series of rows (across) and columns (up and down). This will help me point you toward the right buttons.
The program "PRGM" button is row 3, column 2: press that button first. Then, select “Create New” and give your program a name using the green “Alpha” Key—row 2, column 1 and the green letters written above the keys.
The —> key is the “STO->” Key (row 8, column 1).
The =, <= and >= keys can be found under the “Test” Menu accessible through the “2nd” key (row 1, column 1).
“Prompt” can be found within the “PRGM” menu (PRGM / I/O)
“Disp” can also be found within the “PRGM” menu (PRGM / I/O)
“Sort” refers to the square root button (2nd key / row 5, column 1)
FORMULAS
1) Quadratic Formula
Prompt A
Prompt B
Prompt C
B^2-4AC--> D
Disp "D="
Disp D
(-B+Sqrt(D))/(2A)-->Q
(-B-Sqrt(D))/(2A)-->W
Disp Q
Disp W
Stop
Pro tip: to include imaginary (nonreal) results, select "Mode" and change "Real" to "a+bi".
Prompt A (x1)
Prompt B (y1)
Prompt C (x2)
Prompt D (y2)
Sqrt((A-C)^2+(B-D)^2)--> E
Disp "Distance ="
Disp E
Stop
Prompt A (x1)
Prompt B (y1)
Prompt C (x2)
Prompt D (y2)
(A+C)/2--> E
(B+D)/2--> F
Disp "X Midpoint="
Disp E
Disp "Y Midpoint="
Disp F
Stop
4) Volume and Surface Area of a Sphere
Disp "Radius="
Input R
(4/3)PiR^3-->Z
4PiR^4--> Y
Disp "Volume="
Disp Z
Disp "Surface Area="
Disp Y
Stop
5) Radical Expression Simplifier Video
:ClrHome
:Disp "SIMPLIFIES xth root of N" (MATH5)
:Prompt X,N
:For(F,iPart(Xx\/N+.1),2,-1)
:If fPart(N/F^X
:End
:Output(5,1,F
:2+iPart(log(F->K
:Output(5,K,"*
:Output(5,K+1,X
:K+iPart(log(X->K
:Output(5,K+2,"x\/
:Output(5,K+4,N/F^X
or
Lbl 3
prgm CLEAR
Disp “INPUT THE NUMBER”
Dis “UNDER THE”
Input “RADICAL: “,X
iPart(Sqrt (X) + 1 —> A
Lbl 1
If fPart(X/A^2)=0
Then
Goto 2
Else
(A-1) —> A
Goto 1
Lbl 2
prgmCLEAR
Text (1,1,A, “Sqrt(“,X/A^2,”)”)
Pause
Menu(“FIND ANOTHER”,”YES”,3,”NO”,4)
Lbl 4
Stop
6) Area of Triangle Using 3 Sides
Disp "Side A"
Input A
Disp "Side B"
Input B
Disp "Side C"
Input C
A+B+C-->X
X/2-->D
Sqrt((D)(D-A)(D-B)(D-C))--> E
Disp "Area=?
Disp E
Stop
7) Sum of X Consecutive Integers
Disp "Sum of"
Input S
.5S(S+1)-->A
Disp "Sum of 1 to S="
Disp A
Stop
8) Volume and Surface Area of a Cone
Disp "Radius="
Input R
Disp "Height="
Input H
Disp "Slant="
Input S
(1/3)PiR^2H-->V
PiR^2+PiRS--> W
Disp "Volume="
Disp V
Disp "Surface Area="
Disp W
Stop
9) Converting Between Fahrenheit and Celsius
ClrHome
Menu("FROM","FAHRENHEIT",1,"CELSIUS",2,"KELVIN",3)
Lbl 1
Prompt F
5(F-32)/9→C
C+273.15→K
Goto 4
Lbl 2
Prompt C
C+273.15→K
9C/5+32→F
Goto 4
Lbl 3
Prompt K
K-273.15→C
9C/5+32→F
Lbl 4
ClrHome
Disp F,C,K
Output(1,1,"F°")
Output(2,1,"C°")
Output(3,1,"K")
Stop
10) Standard Deviation
This one isn't an actual program, but it works just as well. On the TI-83/84/85 series, you can calculate standard deviation using the 2nd/LIST/Math Menu, making sure to add braces around your numbers and commas to separate them, like this: stdDev ( {1,2,3,4,5} = 1.58