Texas Instruments TI-83 Series Manual page 4

8
TI-83/84 Plus Graphing Calculators For Dummies, Portable Edition
The following keystrokes are
invaluable:
yz: This is the equivalent of
the Escape key on a computer. It
gets you out of whatever you're
doing (or have finished doing) and
returns you to the Home screen.
The Home screen is where the
action takes place. This is where
you execute commands and eval-
uate expressions.
You must press É before entering each letter. However,
if you want to enter many letters, first press yÉ to
lock the calculator in Alpha mode. Then all you have to do is
press the keys for the various letters. When you're finished,
press É to take the calculator out of Alpha mode. For
example, to enter the word TEST into the calculator, press
yÉWòµW and then press É to tell the calcula-
tor that you're no longer entering letters.
When the calculator is in Alpha mode, the blinking $ cursor
symbol is replaced with the ÿ symbol. This symbol indicates
that the next key you press will insert the green letter above
that key. To take the calculator out of Alpha mode, press
É.
Using the Õ key
The Õ key is used to evaluate expressions and to execute
commands. After you have, for example, entered an arithmetic
expression (such as 5 + 4), press Õ to evaluate that expres-
sion. In this context, the Õ key functions as the equal sign.
Entering arithmetic expressions is explained in Chapter 2.
Keys to remember
Õ: This key is used to exe-
cute commands and to evaluate
expressions. When evaluating
expressions, it's the equivalent of
the equal sign.
ë: This is the "erase" key. If
you're entering something into the
calculator and change your mind,
press this key. If you want to erase
the contents of the Home screen,
repeatedly press this key until the
Home screen is blank.