Getting Started
Before You Begin
You should have a fairly recent version of the operating system. Some of the programs won't work on versions less than 3.2.
To get to know the TI-Nsprie CAS
Calculator/Student Software there are a number of guidebooks, ranging from introductory
to reference guides, that can be found at
http://education.ti.com/en/us/guidebook/search
Installation
1. Download
Go to the Downloads Page and download the package you want. The rest of this page will refer to the package you selected as package_name.
2. Unzip
Extract the files from the package you downloaded. On Windows this is done by right clicking on the downloaded file (in Windows Explorer) and then clicking "Extract All" and following the prompts. On Mac double click the downloaded file (a folder should appear with the contents of the zip file).
You should now read the license agreement.
3. Transfer to CAS
The programs run on any TI-Nspire CAS Calculator or TI-Nspire CAS Student Software. The goal of this step is to put package_name.tns in the MyLib folder.
If you are using TI-Nspire Student Software all you need to do is copy package_name.tns to the MyLib folder. On Windows the MyLib folder is at My Documents\TI-Nspire\MyLib. On Mac the MyLib folder is at Documents/TI-Nspire/MyLib.
To transfer a file to a CAS calculator you need to have either the TI-Nspire Student Software or the TI-Nspire Computer Link Software (the latter is free). Both can be found at http://education.ti.com/en/us/software/search/ti-nspire-cas#!. To transfer your package to a calculator:
- Connect the calculator to the computer with the USB cable that came with it.
- If you're using the Student Software click the folder explorer icon at the top right of the Documents Toolbox and select your handheld in the Connected Handhelds window. If you're using the Computer Link Software click the calculator icon at the bottom right corner of the window and select your handheld.
- The top and bottom windows now act as browsers for files on your computer and calculator, respectively. Navigate to package_name.tns in the top window and copy it to the Documents/MyLib folder in the bottom window.
4. Refresh Libraries
If you are using the TI-Nspire CAS Computer Software click Refresh Libraries (under the Tools menu).
If you are using a calculator press .
Basic Usage
Using the Programs
From any calculator section you can use a program by pressing and then selecting package_name and the program you want. Alternatively you can type package_name\program_name(parameters). You can get a backslash with .
Particularly for exams, it is good to define programs locally so they can be
used just by typing their names e.g. poi(x,x). The easy way to do this is to
copy the file exam.tns (from the package you downloaded) to your calculator
and open it. It already has all the programs defined locally. To define a
program locally the manual way type
define program_name(param1, param2, ..., paramx) = package_name\program_name(param1, param2, ..., paramx)
Replace the after with a if the program name is poi. This is because the TI-Nspire
distinguishes between programs and functions. Technically poi is a program while everything
else is a function.
Interrupting a Calculation
Occasionally you may find a program takes too long to complete and you want to stop it. This is particularly important when using ScriptedMath as there is a small chance that incorrect input or a bug will cause an infinite loop in a program causing it to run forever. To interrupt a calculation press and hold .
If you forget this you can always press the reset button (on back of calculator), but you will lose the current document, or you can take out the batteries (if you do this you may be risking corruption to other files).
To interrupt a calcuation on the computer software do the following. On Windows hold down F12 and press Enter repeatedly. On Macintosh hold down F5 and press Enter repeatedly.
Transferring Programs Between TI-Nspires
- Connect the calculators with a Mini USB cable (they come with TI-Nspires).
- On the sending calculator press . Click the MyLib folder to expand it and make sure the program you want to transfer is highlighted. Press .
- On the receiving calculator close any dialog boxes and refresh libraries.