The TI-84 Plus Silver Edition is a graphing calculator from a series of scientific calculators manufactured by Texas Instruments. The calculator is designed to help users solve problems in various areas of mathematics and science. Though the TI-84 is one of the most common graphing calculators used, it has been met with some malfunction issues. Fortunately, some of the most common issues with the TI-84 Plus Silver Edition are easily fixable.
Won't Turn On
The most common reason why a TI-84 won't turn on is usually battery related. Replace the batteries with four new AAA batteries. Also, underneath the battery storage area, there is a backup battery. Replace this battery with a new button cell battery. Try your calculator again. If the screen still does not appear to work, check the contrast settings. You can adjust the screen contrast from light to dark. Your contrast settings may be set too light for you to see anything displayed.
Error Messages
The TI-84 Plus is designed to alert users when something is wrong via error messages. When you input an equation incorrectly, the calculator will give you the option to "Goto" the part of the problem that is incorrect. This will show you exactly what part of the problem is unsolvable. A syntax error means that you likely inserted the equation incorrectly. For instance, you inserted the variable "x" instead of the multiplication key. A "Dim Mismatch" error means that the list for your scatter plot is uneven. You must have a y value for every x value.
Graphing Problems
The TI-84 Plus has several complex graphing features. The calculator can graph linear equations, scatter plots, systems of equations and lists. In addition to graphing equations, the TI-84 Plus can calculate maximums and minimums, intersections, regressions and tangents of a linear graph. However, you must know work these functions or it will all seem confusing. When your graph doesn't appear correctly, first check the zoom to see whether the equation is properly displayed. If you don't see any tick marks on your graph, turn on your grid marks. If you are getting an error messages, that is an indication that the equation you inputted is mathematically unsolvable. Input the equation again.
Won't Plot List
The TI-84 Plus can graph a scatter plot from a set of data points. If you're trying to plot a list and something is wrong, check your data points and then check your list settings. Verify that you have a y value for every x value in your set of data points. If you are plotting a histogram, check the limits on your graph. The x and y limits should be large enough to include all of your values. For instance, the x-min should be lower than your smallest x value, and your x-max should be larger than the largest x value.
