Casio fx-7400G User Manual
Programming
Your
Calculator
Casio fx-7400G PLUS
Barry Kissane
Programming Your Calculator:
Casio fx-7400G PLUS
Published by Shriro Australia Pty Limited
72-74 Gibbes Street, Chatswood NSW 2067, Australia
A.C.N. 002 386 129
Telephone: 02 9370 9277
Facsimile: 02 9417 8957
Email: casio.edusupport@shriro.com.au
Internet: http://www.school.casio.com.au
Copyright © 2000 Barry Kissane
All rights reserved. Except under the conditions specified in the Copyright
Act 1968 of Australia and subsequent amendments, and the provisions of
the next paragraph, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored
in a retrieval system or be broadcast or transmitted in any form or by any
means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise,
without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.
Permission is hereby given for this publication to be downloaded
electronically and freely copied for classroom use within Australia,
provided due acknowledgement of its origins, including this page, is made.
This publication makes reference to the Casio fx-7400G PLUS graphics
calculator. This model description is a registered trademark of CASIO, Inc.
Casio® is a registered trademark of CASIO, Inc.
ISBN 0 9758302 0 3
Barry Kissane
INTRODUCTION
The Casio fx-7400G PLUS does not have all the capabilities of larger, more sophisticated
(and considerably more expensive) graphics calculators. This booklet contains examples
of programs that you can use to extend its capabilities in various ways.
Some of the programs allow the calculator to undertake tasks usually available only on
more sophisticated calculators (such as solving equations). Some programs allow you
to explore mathematical ideas in new ways, such as those involving generating random
data. Some others provide mathematical functions not usually available on calculators
(such as finding factors of a number).
A calculator program is a set of commands to be carried out by the calculator in a
particular sequence. There are special programming commands available to direct the
calculator, although most of the commands are those with which you are already
familiar.
It is not necessary to know how to write a program in order to use a program. All that
you need to do is to faithfully enter into your calculator a program written by someone
else, and to know how and when to use the program.
The User's Guide provides detailed information on programming, as well as some
other programs, if you would like to know more about this.
Entering a Program
The programs in this book can be entered into your calculator in at least three different
ways.
Provided you have the right calculator accessories and Internet access, you can
download all the programs from the Australian Casio Education Site (ACES), with the
URL http://www.school.casio.com.au and then transfer them directly to your
calculator through the communications port. You will need the FA-122 or FA-123 kit
for your computer to do this. Refer to Chapter 9 of the User's Guide.
A second way is to transfer the programs from another calculator that already has
them entered. To do this, you will need the special SB-62 cable, or an equivalent cable.
In this case, you use the communications port of your calculator, and use Link Mode
for each calculator. Refer to Chapter 9 of the User's Guide.
A third way is to enter a program by typing in the commands by hand. First press
6 to activate the program mode of the calculator. Press to start. Enter a name
(maximum eight letters) and press when you’re finished. It is best to use the names
of the programs used in this book to avoid confusion.
Enter the program commands, exactly as they are written in this book, pressing
(shown as ) at the end of each line. Most of the commands you will use in a program
are the same ones you use for other calculator operations. There are also some special
Programming your calculator
commands that are used almost exclusively for programming. These are accessed by
first accessing ( ). The inside back cover of the User's Guide shows where
all programming commands are, while Chapter 8 describes in detail how each
command works. When you have finished entering the program into the calculator,
press to return to the programming list menu.
Test the program to make sure there are no typing errors. If possible, you should
check that your program works by using some data for which you already know the
answer, before you place any confidence in the program.
Running a program
To run (i.e. to operate) a program, press to enter Program mode, use the and
keys to highlight the program name in the list, and then press ( ) or just the
blue key.
After each input number, you need to press E E to continue running the program.
You also need to press after a display pause on the screen (shown with the word
)
If a program doesn't work, check your typing in Edit mode. (See the next section.)
To stop a programfrom running, while it is running, press the key. The word
'Break' will appear on the screen . Press again to clear the screen and return to
mode. If you press instead of , the program will start again.
You can't stop a program while it is waiting for an input (showing a ? on the screen).
Input a number and then press .
Editing a program
To edit a program means to correct errors that you have noticed or to change the
program in some other way. Go to the program list, select the program name and then
press ( ).
You can move around with all four cursor keys ( ) and move straight to the
beginning or end of a program with ( ) and ( ) respectively.
Both the and ( ) keys will be useful for editing too.
When you have finished making changes, press to return to the program list.
Barry Kissane
Deleting programs
Programs remain in your calculator until you delete them. They are not affected by
turning the calculator off. To permanently delete a program, go to the program list
with , and press the continuation key. Use and to select the program name
from the list, and then press ( ). To delete all the programs in a calculator, choose
. ( ) instead of ( ).
In case you have pressed any keys by mistake, you then have a second chance to
confirm that you do actually want to erase the program. Press ( ) if you do and
any other key or ( ) if you don't.
Programs can also be deleted from the Memory mode, accessed by . In Memory
mode, you have a choice of finding out how much calculator memory is being used for
various things (Memory Usage) or of resetting the calculator (Reset).
There is also a ( ) key on the memory usage screen, which you can use to delete
all the programs at once, if you wish.
Resetting the calculator manually (with the emergency reset on the back of the
calculator) will also delete all the programs. See Appendix A of the User's Guide for
details and warnings about this.
If you press the Reset key in error (either in Memory mode or using the reset on the
back of the calculator), you still have one last chance to avoid deleting everything: Press
( ) instead of ( ).
And, finally …
Using programs like those in this book will allow you to do many powerful things with
your calculator.
However, the most powerful use of programming comes when you start to write
programs for yourself. The programs in this book are all fairly short, partly to make it
easier for you to see how they work. Once you have a good idea of how these
programs work, you may like to experiment with writing other programs for yourself.
Some aspects of mathematics are fairly routine, and so lend themselves to
programming. An example of this is the quadratic formula, used in program QuadEqtn.
Other examples are the formulae used in the Calendar and Heron programs. There are
many other formulas in mathematics for which programs can easily be written. These
include working out simple interest, compound interest, the area of a circle and the
cosine law.
Another aspect of mathematics for which programming is useful involves the use of
repetition. You might like to try writing programs to deal with sequences and series,
which are of this kind.
Many of the programs in this book make use of the random number generator to
simulate probabilities. You might like to try writing other programs that use this
calculator feature.
Programming your calculator
I express my gratitude to Debbie Taylor, who has been encouraging during this project
and especially helpful in checking the text and the programs in this book, although I
remain responsible for any lingering errors that you may find.
I hope that you enjoy using these programs and wish you well in starting the
adventure of writing some others for yourself or your friends.
Barry Kissane
The Australian Institute of Education
Murdoch University
Western Australia 6150
http://wwwstaff.murdoch.edu.au/~kissane
kissane@murdoch.edu.au
Barry Kissane
INDEX OF PROGRAMS
Page
Calendar ..............................................................................................1
Heron.....................................................................................................2
Zero........................................................................................................3
2 x 2 EQ.................................................................................................4
3 x 3 EQ.................................................................................................5
QuadEqtn.............................................................................................6
Intrsect...................................................................................................7
Minimum...............................................................................................8
Maximum..............................................................................................9
Search.................................................................................................10
Integral................................................................................................11
Decimal...............................................................................................12
Factors.................................................................................................13
Dice.....................................................................................................14
TwoDice...............................................................................................15
Coin.....................................................................................................16
FreqDist................................................................................................17
DiffList...................................................................................................18
LongRun..............................................................................................19
SRansamp...........................................................................................20
Normal.................................................................................................21
Binomial ..............................................................................................22
BinProb................................................................................................23
CmpndInt ...........................................................................................24
Programming your calculator
Barry Kissane
CALENDAR
Purpose
Gives the week day for any date, according to the Gregorian calendar, which is in
everyday use today in western countries. The program evaluates a formula that takes
leap years appropriately into account.
Operation
Enter the day, month number and year (all four digits), pressing after each. For
example, 31 August 1949 is entered as .
Important Note: January and February must be entered as the 13th and 14th months of
the previous year. So February 6, 1950 must be entered as 6, 14, 1949 instead of 6, 2,
1950.
The program uses the following codes to report the week day:
0 Sunday
1 Monday
2 Tuesday
3 Wednesday
4 Thursday
5 Friday
6 Saturday
Check the program by using today's date.
On what day of the week were you born? Check with your parents.
1
Programming your calculator
HERON
Purpose
Uses the lengths of the three sides of a triangle to calculate the area of any triangle,
using Heron's formula, known since ancient times.
Operation
Enter the length of each side, followed by . Both numbers and expressions (such as
√2) are permitted.
The program displays the area of the triangle.
Press to enter the side lengths of another triangle.
Test the program by entering sides of a familiar triangle, such as a 3-4-5 triangle, and
checking that the calculated area is correct.
Notice what happens when the program is run with side lengths that do not form a
triangle (such as 3-4-11).
There is a discussion of the use of this sort of program in the text:
Kissane, Barry & Harradine, Anthony (2000) Mathematical Interactions: Measurement,
Chatswood, NSW: Shriro, pp 19-20.
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