Using the Casio fx-83 Calculator
The Casio fx-83 calculator is currently widely available and is highly
recommended for use by engineering students at Levels 2 and 3.
The calculator has over 250 functions and it incorporates a ‘natural
display’ that supports input and output using mathematical notation,
such as fractions, roots, etc.
INITIALISING THE CALCULATOR
The keystrokes shown in Figure 1 can be used to return the calculator’s settings and modes
to their initial (default) values. Note that this operation will also clear any data from the
calculator’s memory. The fx-83’s Clear menu is shown in Figure 2.
SETTING THE CALCULATOR MODE
The fx-83 provides three different calculation modes; COMP is used for general calculations,
STAT is used for statistical calculations, and TABLE is used to generate a table of values
based on a given expression. For Level 2, you will only need to use the COMP mode. The
Mode menu is shown in Figure 3 and the keystrokes required to set the calculator to the
COMP mode are shown in Figure 4.
FIGURE 1 Key entry required to initialize the calculator
FIGURE 2 The fx-83’s Clear menu will allow you to reset and initialize the calculator
FIGURE 3 The fx-83’s Mode menu will allow you to change the calculator’s mode
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TABLE 1 The display symbols used on the fx-83
Display
Meaning
S
The keypad has been shifted by pressing the SHIFT key. The keypad will unshift
and this indicator will disappear when you press a key
A
The alpha input mode has been entered by pressing the ALPHA key. The alpha
input mode will be cancelled, and this indicator will disappear when you press a
key
M
This indicates that a value has been stored in the calculator’s memory
STO
The calculator is waiting for the input of a variable name. The calculator will then
assign a value to this variable. The indication appears after you press
SHIFT RCL STO
RCL
The calculator is waiting for the input of a variable name. The calculator will then
recall the value of this variable. The indication appears after you press RCL
STAT
The calculator is in the statistical mode
D
The default unit for angles is degrees
R
The default unit for angles is radians
G
The default unit for angles is grads
FIX
The calculator has been set to display a fixed number of decimal places
SCI
The calculator has been set to display several significant digits
Math
The calculator has been set to the maths input/output mode
Calculation history is available and can be replayed (or there is more data above
or below the display)
Disp
The display currently shows an intermediate result of a multi-statement
calculation
FIGURE 4 Key entry for setting the calculator to COMP mode
Note: When you first power up the fx-83 calculator it will be in ‘MathIO’ mode. This may be
awkward for use with many basic engineering calculations. To change the mode to the more
conventional ‘LineIO’ mode, you need to press the SHIFT button followed by MODE and 2.
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CONFIGURING THE CALCULATOR SETUP
The fx-83 Setup menu allows you to control the way in which calculations are performed as
well as the way that expressions are entered and displayed. The menu will let you work with
a fixed number of decimal places (FIX), or with a fixed number of significant digits (SCI). You
can also choose to use mathematical notation (MthIO) or conventional (line-based) notation
(LineIO). The Setup menu is shown in Figure 5 whilst the keystrokes required to set the
calculator to LineIO mode are shown in Figure 6.
FIGURE 5 The Setup menu
FIGURE 6 The fx-83’s Mode menu will allow you to change the calculator’s mode. Here we
are changing to LineIO mode.
For further information please see
www.key2study.com
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