Page 1
TroubleShooting the TI -89
CAL CUL ATOR BATTERIE S
• Will I lose all my programs when I change batteries?
There is no guarantee that changing batteries will not reset your calculator’s memory. However, a
method that seems to work well is to make sure your calculator is turned off, take the old batteries
out one at a time, replacing each with a new battery before removing the next. Be sure you have
the direction of the batteries correct (+ and– alternating).
• What is the backup battery?
The backup battery is a roundbattery above the AAA batteries and under a piece of plastic that is
fastened to the calculator with a small screw.
• How long will my batteries last?
How long your batteries last depends on how much you use your calculator. The four AAA batteries in the calculator usually last for about a year with normal use in a calculus course. The
backup battery can last anywhere from 2 to 5 years.
• When do I need to replace the batteries?
You need to replace the AAA batteries if your screen is not dark enough when you press
diamond
the General category.) There is also a battery indicator in the lower-right hand corner of the home
screen that appears when your batteries need replacing.
,
release that key, and then press and hold the + key. (See the second bulleted item under
green
• I’ve replaced the four AAA batteries and my calculator still won’t come on. What next?
Sometimes when you replace batteries, the calculator resets to its lightest screen setting. Darken the
display according to the directions given in the second bulleted item under the General category. If
you have replaced the AAA batteries, you have darkened the display, and your calculator still will
not turn on, it is likely that the backup battery needs replacing.
DELE TING PR OG RAMSOR OTHER INFOR MATION FROM THE TI-89
• How do I delete information from my calculator?
2nd + [ M EM] 2 [ Delete]
Press
For instance, to delete a program, press
the information you want to delete and press
.
Next press the number corresponding to what you wish to delete.
7[Prgm]
.
Use the down arrow to move the cursor next to
ENTER
.
Be very careful – there is no “undo”
command.
• The calculator keeps giving me a memory error when I try to enter data or transfer or run a
program. What can I do?
Press
2nd6 [MEM]
to delete some of thecalculator’s contents. Pictures (
. If you have approximately 8000 or less in the
PIC
) and graph data bases (
RAM FREE
location, you need
GDB
)takeupa
lot of room and can be deleted by following the directions in the answer directly above. Game
programs alsotake up a lot of room andcreatesome of thepictures anddata bases that maybe
stored in your calculator.
• I’m trying to delete data in one of the cells of the data/matrix editor and nothing happens.
If the data entry does not delete when it is highlighted and you press
back arrow
,
thedata may be
locked. If you entered the data using the sequence command and/or aligned or shifted the data by
adding/ subtracting/multiplying, and so forth, there is a picture of a lock next to the row and
column number of the entry at the bottom of the data editor screen. When the data is locked this
TI 89-106
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Page 2
TI-89 Guide
TI 89-107
way, you cannot change individual entries. However, you can delete the entire column with
[F6: Util] 5 [Clear Column].
GENERA L INFORM ATION
• Why do my calculator screens not look like the ones in this Guide?
Make sure your calculator settings are as specified in the Setup Instructions on pages TI89-1,2.
• How do I make the display screen darker or lighter?
To make the display darker, press
green diamond
key until the display is dark enough. To make the display lighter, press
,
release that key, and then press and hold the +
green diamond
,
that key, and then press and hold the −−−− key until the display is light enough.
• I have either lost or never got the owner’s manual for the TI-89. What can I do?
TheTI-89Guidebook is available at the TI web site accessible through
www.ti.com
.
• I get tired of pressing so many keys to have to find commands that I use all the time. Is there
something I can do to make the process simpler?
Yes, the TI-89 has a
CUSTOM
menu in which you can enter commands that you often. See pages
30 and 291 in the TI-89 Guidebook for instructions.
• Is there a difference in lower-and upper-case letters on the TI-89?
You can typeboth upper and lower-caseletters on the TI-89, but the calculator makes no distinctionin the case. For instance, P and p are the same variable names on this calculator. Also, the
TI-89 consid ers pt as the name of a variable, but p*t means the multiplication of P and T.In
addition, the calculator assumes that you are trying to evaluate a function p at the input t when you
type p(t), so do not use this symbol to mean multiplication of p andt.
2ndF1
release
GR A P HING
• Why do I get an ARGUMENT ERROR when I try to enter a function from the graphing list in
the entry line on the home screen?
Make sure that you refer to the function by the correct number and that there is something entered
in that position in the
notation when referring to the function on the home screen; i.e., use
Y=
(graphing) list. The TI-89 also requires that you use output function
y1(x)
noty1.
• Why don’t I see a graph when I press the correct keys?
(Y=)
Make sure that you have the function entered in the graphing
list, usingxfor the input variable. (See Sections 1.1.1 – 1.1.2.) Also check that your function is turned on. (See Section 1.3.5.)
If the function is turned on but you still cannot see the graph, check your window settings – maybe
the function did graph, but it graphed outside your window.
• What do I do if a get a strange-looking graph or no graph instead of a scatter plot of data
when I press
F2 [ZOOM] 9 [ZoomData]
?
The scatter plot setup has somehow been changed, is not correctly set, or is not turned on. Refer to
Section1.5.5 of this Guide for instructions.
• Do I have to clear the function location in the Y= list before pasting in another function
when finding an equation of best fit?
Most of the time, it is not necessary to first clear any previously-entered function from the chosen
location of the
Y=
list. However, if you receive an error message when finding the equation, clear
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Page 3
TI 89-108
TI-89 TroubleShooting Guide
the desired function location and return to the data/matrix editor to repeat the regression instruction.
If you still obtain an error message, check the graph format as described on page 1 of this Guide.
• While trying to draw the graph of an equation that I entered in the Y= list, I get a DIMEN-
SION MISMATCH error. What do I do?
The TI-89 will sometimes not draw the graph of a function when one of the scatter plots is turned
on. To correct this problem, press
checked, and press
F4 [b]
to turn the plots off. The graph should now draw.
ESCgreen diamond Y=
, put the cursor on any plots that are
• What causes an error message about the window and how do I eliminate this error?
This error message is usually caused when
program may be such that the height of the window (
Ymin = Ymax
Ymin − Ymax
in the
WINDOW
settings. The code in a
) is set to zero. If you attempt to
draw a scatter plot when the output is constant, this error results because the TI-89 uses the output
data to set the range for the
press
green diamond GRAPH
WINDOW
. To correct this error, manually set
to draw the graph.
Ymin
and
Ymax
• The data that is graphed is not the correct data. What happened?
Make sure that you have the correct folder and the correct data in the data/matrix editor. All
instructions in this Guide are to enter data in the variable
screen and be sure that the plot that is turned on is defined usingc1andc2in the
calcc
in the
Main
folder.Gotothe
Main
folde r.
and
Y=
PROGRAMS
• Where can I get the programs that are used in this Guide?
The programs can be transferred to your calculator from another student or your teacher’s calculator and a link chord. If no one has the programs, they can be downloaded from the web site for
this text accessible through
college.hmco.com.
A TI Graph-Link cable and the linking software for your particular calculator are neede d to
transfer the programs from the Internet to a computer. A special cable is needed to transfer the
programs from the computer to your calculator. The linking software is free at the TI web site
accessible through
www.ti.com
and at the web site for this text. If you cannot find a cable, ask at
the learning center for your school, check with your instructor, or search the TI web site for
instructions on how to purchase one.
• Why won’t a program run, or why do I get an error when I try to run a program?
You may have unknowingly deleted or altered one or more lines of the program code. The easiest
method of fixing the problem is to use the link chord to re-transfer the entire program into the
calculator. If this is not possible, you can find the correct program code in the TI-89 Program
Appendix at the Calculus Concepts Website. Press
arrow
twice and then
right arrow
. Highlight the name of the corrupt program and press
APPS 7 [Program Editor] 2 [Open] down
Compare the code in your calculator with what is printed in the TI-89 Program Appendix until you
find the error and correct it by retyping the correct code. Consult the TI-89 Guidebook that came
with your calculator for the location of the symbols in the program code.
• Program NUMTGL keeps giving an error when I try to run it. What can I do?
Delete all functions from the
NUMTGL.
This program uses many different me m ory locations in the calculator. If you receive
Y=
list (except the function iny1) before using the program named
an error while running this program, you may have a picture, another program, or something else
stored as a single-letter name. For instance, if program
memory location
T
and you have a program calledT, the calculator stops and may give an error
NUMTGL
is trying to store a number in
message. Delete or rename any programs, pictures, or whatever you have called by a single-letter
ENTER
.
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Page 4
TI-89 Guide
TI 89-109
name before continuing. (See DELETING PROGRAMS OR OTHER INFORMATION FROM
THE TI-89.)
SYMBOLIC
• I get a number instead of a symbolic expression. What is wrong?
If you do not get a symbolic result, it is because the variable you are using as the input variable has
a number stored in it. That is, the variable is a defined rather than an undefined variable. The
variable you use for the input variable must be an undefined variable in order to obtain a symbolic
result. Refer to the top of page TI89-5 of this Guide for more information.
• Why is the symbolic result not correct when I am using several letters in the problem?
One reason may be that the TI-89 thinks one of the variables is a function. For instance, if you
have defined c as a function and in another problem want c to be a variable coefficient, you must
indicate this when typing the expression: If you do not type c*(x + 5), the TI-89 assumes that you
are evaluating the function c at the input value x +5 when you type c(x +5).
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Loading...