Steve Ouellette

Cheat Sheet / Updated 02-17-2022

The TI-Nspire device is the most sophisticated handheld graphing calculator available, allowing users to display and evaluate values symbolically, and to reuse the same equations across multiple applications. Because it’s so sophisticated, navigating its features can sometimes be confusing. It helps to know a variety of methods of achieving your aims with the device.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

Sometimes when you're using a computer, you get into typing mode. Call it laziness if you want, but you might not really feel like accessing a symbol palette or catalog to insert the symbol or command that you need. Incidentally, the first seven shortcuts also work on the handheld: To enter π, type pi. To enter θ, type theta. To enter ∞: type infinity. To enter ≤, type <=. To enter ≥, type >=. To enter √, type sqrt(...). To enter �?, type abs(...). To enter i (the imaginary constant), type @i. To enter e (natural log base e), type @e. To enter ° (degrees), type @d. To enter r (radians), type @r.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

Shortcuts are available to help you quickly navigate documents on your TI-Nspire, allowing you to move from problem to problem, page to page, application to application, and even to change your view. They are as follows: Display previous page: Ctrl-◄ Display next page: Ctrl-► Switch between applications on a split page: Ctrl-Tab Display page sorter view: Ctrl-▲ Move through the fields in a dialog box: Tab Move through the fields in reverse order: Shift-Tab

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

Is the display on your TI-Nspire too bright, not bright enough, or need to be turned off? These shortcuts will modify the display on your TI-Nspire quickly: Increase contrast: Ctrl-+ Decrease contrast: Ctrl-– Power off: Ctrl-On

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

A TI-Nspire file that holds problems and pages is a document. You can manage your TI-Nspire documents with these shortcuts or use them to access the Document and Context menus: Access the Documents menu: Doc Access the Context menu (right-click): Ctrl-Menu Open Document: Ctrl-O Close Document: Ctrl-W Create New Document: Ctrl-N Insert New Page: Ctrl-I Select Application: Ctrl-K Save Current Document: Ctrl-S

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

To open a file on the TI-Nspire, you must be in the My Documents view. Simply highlight a specific file and press [ENTER] or [CLICK]. You can also highlight a file and press [MENU]→Open (or [CTRL][O]). The first page of the new document is displayed. To go back to the My Documents view, press [ON]→My Documents. In the My Documents view, open files are designated by an asterisk symbol (*) to the left of the filename. You have many ways to close a file on the TI-Nspire. Press [DOC]→File→Close (or press [CTRL][W]). Alternatively, [CLICK] the X in the upper-right corner of the screen. On the TI-Nspire Handheld, you cannot have two files open simultaneously. Therefore, one way to close a file is to open another file. If you made any changes to a file, you are prompted to save the currently open file before the new file opens. As for saving files, here’s how it works. A new document is not saved — it resides in TI-Nspire’s local memory, just like a new (but unsaved) document on a computer. To save a new, unnamed document, follow these steps: Press [DOC]→File→Save to open the Save As dialog box. By default, the cursor is located in the File Name field. Type the filename. To specify a different folder location, press [SHIFT][TAB] to move up to the Save In field. Press [CLICK] to reveal and select an available folder or press [SHIFT][TAB] again and [CLICK] to create a new folder and type the folder name. At any time, press [ENTER] to put your choices into effect and close the dialog box. Alternatively, press [TAB] until the OK or Cancel button is highlighted and press [ENTER]. To save a previously saved document with the current name, press [CTRL][S] (or press [DOC]→File→Save). To save an open file under a different name (thus preserving the original file), press [DOC]→File→Save As.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

Very soon after you create a new document on the TI-Nspire, it’s a good idea to save the file. The quickest and easiest way to save your new file is to press [CTRL][S] (shortcut for [DOC]→File→Save). Because this file wasn’t saved previously, a dialog box opens, giving you complete control over the filename and the folder in which to save. Follow these steps to change the folder location or to create a new folder: Press [DOC]→File→Save or the shortcut key sequence [CTRL][S]. Type the name of the file in the File Name field. Press [SHIFT][TAB] to move from the File Name field to the folder that’s currently open, or just move your cursor and press [CLICK]. All the folders contained in the My Documents menu are listed. Highlight the name of the folder you wish to save your document to and press [ENTER] to select the folder. Navigating a dialog box on the TI-Nspire is very similar to navigation on a computer. Pressing [TAB] advances to the next field and pressing [SHIFT][TAB] goes back to the previous field. Alternatively, because a dialog box is a clickable area, you can navigate by moving your cursor and pressing [CLICK] to choose the field that you wish to edit (like moving your mouse on a computer). To create a new folder, press [SHIFT][TAB] to highlight the new folder icon and then press [ENTER] to create a new folder; type the name of the folder in the highlighted field. Press [ENTER] to accept file saving information and close the dialog box. Alternatively, press [TAB] until OK is highlighted, and then press [ENTER] or [CLICK]. If you don’t want to change the folder location, complete Steps 1, 2, and 6. As you continue to work on your document, you can periodically save your work by pressing [CTRL][S].

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

The My Documents menu on the TI-Nspire differs slightly depending on whether you have a folder or file highlighted. To access the My Documents menu, press the [MENU] key. Here are the menu options available for a highlighted folder (first screen) and a highlighted file (second screen). Notice that the My Documents menu contains an alternate way to expand or collapse folders. Two other related options, Expand All and Collapse All, are available on the My Documents menu (press [MENU]). How to organize with folders on the TI-Nspire The My Documents menu can be used to help you organize your folders and files. Here two folders are named by subject, Algebra 2 and Geometry. To add another folder, say, Precalculus, press [ON]→My Documents, then press [MENU]→New Folder. A new folder, temporarily named Folder1, appears. Using the alpha keys, type the name of your new folder and press [ENTER]. TI-Nspire can hold a lot of files, so it’s a good idea to spend time thinking about how you want to use folders to organize your documents. In fact, each folder can hold subfolders to help in your organization of documents. How to rename files and folders on the TI-Nspire Perhaps you made a mistake naming a file or folder. Simply highlight the file or folder and press [MENU]→Rename. A secondary box appears around the highlighted file or folder with the existing name highlighted in gray. Start typing the new name and press [ENTER] when you are finished. Filenames and folder names can be 255 characters long. You can use almost any character, including spaces, as part of a filename or folder name. Other My Documents menu items on the TI-Nspire You may have noticed a few other options located on the My Documents menu. Two of these options, Save As and Send, are only available if you have a file highlighted rather than a folder. You also have the options to Save As and Open a highlighted file. Selecting the Save As option automatically opens a dialog box that allows you to type a new filename, then you can save within the same folder or a different folder. This feature saves a copy and preserves the original file. To delete a document, right-click, [CTRL][MENU]→Delete (or press [DEL] over a highlighted document). As a safeguard, a prompt asks whether you really want to delete the file. See the second and third screens.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

The TI-Nspire handheld device has seven applications from which to choose — Calculator application, Graphs application, Geometry application, Lists & Spreadsheets application, Data & Statistics application, Notes application, and Vernier DataQuest. Calculator application: In this application, you perform calculations. You also enter and view expressions, equations, and formulas, all of which are displayed in a format similar to what you see in a textbook. A variety of built-in templates is also available to give you the power to represent just about any mathematical concept symbolically. Graphs application: In this application, you graph equations, expressions, and a variety of functions. Variables and sliders allow you to investigate the effect of certain parameters dynamically. Analyze the graph to find critical points and the values of local extrema. Geometry application: In this application, you can explore synthetic geometry concepts, that is, geometry not associated with the coordinate plane. Also, the Geometry application allows you to integrate coordinate geometry and synthetic geometry. Watch as connections between these two areas are made dynamically, in real time. Lists & Spreadsheet application: In this application, you investigate numeric data, some of which is captured from the Graphs application and some of which resides entirely within the Lists & Spreadsheet application. Like a computer spreadsheet program, this application allows you to label columns, insert formulas into cells, and perform a wide range of statistical analyses. Data & Statistics application: Used in conjunction with Lists & Spreadsheet, this application allows you to visualize one-variable and two-variable data sets. Data & Statistics allows you to create a variety of statistical graphs, including scatter plots, histograms, box-and-whisker plots, dot plots, regression equations, and normal distributions. You can also manipulate a data set (either numerically or graphically) and watch the corresponding change in the other representation. Notes application: The Notes application enables you to put math into writing. Three templates make the Notes application a robust and integral part of any TI-Nspire document. With the Notes application, you can pose questions, review or write geometric proofs, and provide directions for an activity. Interactive math boxes link to all the other applications. Vernier DataQuest application: This application can be used along with probes (like the CBR2 motion detector) to collect real data. There are three views available within the DataQuest application that allow for multiple representations of the data. You can even discard the parts of the data that you do not want to include.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

The Documents menu on the TI-Nspire, accessed by pressing [DOC], is the one menu that is available no matter where you are in TI-Nspire. Furthermore, the Documents menu options never change. For example, you can access the Documents menu from a Graphs page or from within the My Documents view, and you see the same menu choices. Keep in mind, though, that certain menu items may not be available for use, as indicated by the light-gray font. The first screen shows the top-level Documents options. The second and third screens show the secondary Documents options for File and Edit, respectively. Shortcut keystrokes are embedded in the menus of the TI-Nspire. Notice that the shortcut for the Save command, (Ctrl+S), is written directly to the right of the command on the menu. See the second screen. Notice that the Edit menu offers several editing options similar to those found on a computer. Additionally, several of these options can be accessed by using keyboard shortcuts, the same ones that are used on a PC. Here is a complete list of the Documents menu options that have corresponding keyboard shortcuts: [DOC]→File→New Document (Shortcut: [CTRL][N]) [DOC]→File→Open (Shortcut: [CTRL][O]) [DOC]→File→Close (Shortcut: [CTRL][W]) [DOC]→File→Save (Shortcut: [CTRL][S]) [DOC]→Edit→Undo (Shortcut: [CTRL][Z] or [CTRL][ESC]) [DOC]→Edit→Redo (Shortcut: [CTRL][Y]) [DOC]→Edit→Cut (Shortcut: [CTRL][X]) [DOC]→Edit→Copy (Shortcut: [CTRL][C]) [DOC]→Edit→Paste (Shortcut: [CTRL][V])