Get started with TI-84 Plus CE Calculator
June 17, 2025
How to use the Keypad on the TI-84 Plus CE Graphing Calculator
- James Cooper
- Guide
TI 84 Calculator Online is free to use but you have to understand how ti 84 keyboard works. Its keys are grouped according to their functionalities. It is important for you to understand every group of keys. Moreover, you will learn about secondary and tertiary functionalities, how to brighten or darken the screen of the TI 84 Calculator. In this article, we explain everything about how to use the keypad with the help of images and videos.
Table of Contents
The layout of the keypad
The buttons on the keypads have more than one function. We can categorize them as main function, secondary function and tertiary function. We recognize the buttons according to their main function.
The keys/buttons in the first row of the calculator are called the Graphing Keys. These keys are: “y=”, “window”, “zoom”, “trace”, and “graph”. We group the keys according to their primary function.
The down from there are called the Editing Keys. These keys are: “2nd”, ”mode”, ”del”, ”alpha”, ”X,T,θ,n”, and ”stat”.
The down from there are called the Math and Statistics Keys. These keys are: “math”, “apps”, “prgm”, “vars”, and “clear”. These are special discrete function keys. We can do things like math, apps, programming, statistics and some other functions.
Under there, we have Scientific Keys (One row and first left column). These keys are: x-1”, “sin”, “cos”, “tan”, “^”, “x2”, “log”, “ln”, and “on”. You can perform things like trigonometry, square, square roots, and log.
Bottom center, we have number keys. 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8, and 9. It also has the zero, decimal point and the negative (-) keys.
At the most right bottom side, we have the operation keys. These keys are “+”, “-”, “x”, and “÷”. These are basic operators for calculation.
Some keys don’t fit into any of these groups like “sto→”.
Multiple functionalities of different keys
It is important to understand the secondary and tertiary button functions on the TI-84 Plus CE. Except the clear button, every key has secondary and tertiary function and many keys have both. The text on the top of the key is its secondary and tertiary function. If the text color is blue, it is for the secondary function. If the text color is green, it is for the tertiary function.
Now the question is: How to use or activate these functions? Very simple. When you press the key “2nd” (the key color is blue), it activates the secondary function and when you press the key “alpha” (the key color is green), it activates the tertiary function.
Let’s take an example.
- When you press the button “math”, it opens a basic menu.
2. Press the “clear” key to clear the screen.
3. Press the “2nd” key. The pointer/cursor on the screen changes to an up arrow which means the second key is pressed. Now press the “math” key again. Now when you observe, you will find that these options are completely different from the default options which come after pressing just the “math” key without pressing the “2nd” key. These are secondary options.
4. Press the “clear” key to clear the screen.
5. Press the “Alpha” key. The pointer on the screen changes to symbol “A” which means the tertiary key “Alpha” is pressed. Now press the “math” key again. Now it shows the letter “A”. It may be used for programming or algebra. These options (Symbol A) are called tertiary options. These options are different from the default options which come after pressing just the “math” key and from the secondary options.
How to use the navigation keys
The navigation wheel is very useful.
- It helps you to move between different options when any function is activated. For example: Press the key “math”. You can see the sub-menu on the screen. Math, Num, CMPLX, PROB, FRAC. With the help of the navigation wheel, you can move to the left or right menu of the screen. Also you can move down to choose the option in that menu. If you are using TI 84 Calculator Online, then you can use the keyboard arrows as well.
2. Now use the navigation wheel to move to the menu “PROB” which is probability. Under “PROB”, it has different options to choose which can be chosen by using the down or up key of the navigation wheel. The options under “PROB” are:
1: rand
2: nPr
3: nCr
4: !
5: randInt(
6: randNorm(
7: randBin(
8: randIntNoRep(
Now I want to choose “3: nCr”, I have to press the “down” key of the wheel three times to come at the “3: nCr” and press the “enter” key which is at the bottom right corner of the calculator. This command “nCr” paste into the screen to use it for your calculation.
From here, I can type numbers for combination. Write the number at the place of “n” and then use the right navigation key to move the cursor to the”r” and write the number here as well. After that, just press enter.
3. The navigation key can also be used to look at some of your past calculations. Press the “up” key to go to the previous calculations and press the “down” key to go back to the latest calculations. You can press the “clear“ key to remove everything.
How to lighten and darken the screen display
You can use the navigation key to Lighten or Darken the Screen Display on the TI-84 Plus CE. It will not work on the TI 84 Calculator Online but it will work on your physical TI 84 calculator.
You have to press the “2nd” key and then the top key of the navigation wheel. It has a sun icon on it. It will lighten your TI 84 calculator screen.
To darken your screen, you have to press the “2nd” and then the bottom key of the navigation wheel. It will darken your TI 84 calculator screen.
How to use the Catalog
To Access the Catalog on the TI-84 Plus CE, Click the “2nd” key and then number “0”. There is a small text “catalog” on its top in blue color.
It will open the catalog of TI 84 Plus CE Calculator. Also you can see a symbol “A” which shows that the “alpha” key is activated. Now if the alpha key is activated, you can type any letter. For example you can press the “tan” key and it will input the letter “G”. It takes you to the function with “G” starting.
You can use the down arrow key from the navigation wheel. It takes you to the gcd (Greater Common Divisor). If you don’t know how to use it, just press the “+” key and it will load its syntax.
You can cancel or paste the syntax. To paste the syntax, click the “trace” key and to escape click the “graph” key.
Video Tutorial
It is an official video by the TI Instrument youtube channel.
Frequently Asked Questions (F.A.Q)
What do the different colors on the TI-84 Plus CE keypad mean?
The blue text represents the secondary function. The green text represents the tertiary function. These functions can be activated by pressing the “2nd” and “alpha” key.
What are the Graphing Keys on the TI-84 Plus CE?
The top row of the TI 84 Calculator has the Graphing Keys: “y=”, “window”, “zoom”, “trace”, and “graph”. These are used for graphing functions.
How is the keypad organized on the TI-84 Plus CE?
The keys on the keypad are grouped according to their functionalities. These groups are:
- Graphing Keys
- Editing Keys
- Math and Statistics Keys
- Scientific Keys
- Number Keys
- Operation Keys
- Miscellaneous Keys (like “sto→”)
What does the navigation wheel do?
It has 4 keys. Up, down, left and right. It can be used to move the cursor. It can also be used to navigate between the different options in the menu or sub menu.
How do I use the nCr function for combinations?
Press the “math” key and navigate to the “PROB” menu by using the right arrow. Scroll down to “3: nCr”, press Enter. Enter values for n and r, and press Enter again to calculate.
How do I clear the screen on my TI-84 Plus CE?
Simply press the “Clear” key to clear the screen or exit a menu.
Can I use the navigation wheel to access previous calculations?
Yes, use the up arrow key to load the previous calculations and use the down arrow key to load the latest calculations.
How do I lighten or darken the display on the calculator?
To lighten the display, press the “2nd” key then the up arrow key of the navigation wheel (with sun icon). To darken, press the “2nd” key then the down arrow key of the navigation wheel.
Can I use all these functions on the online version of the TI-84 calculator?
Yes, The online TI 84 Calculator has all the functions which work the same as the physical calculator, but screen brightness adjustment is only available on the physical calculator, not the online version.
How do I open the Catalog on the TI-84 Plus CE?
Press the “2nd” key and then “0” key (the Catalog key). This opens a complete list of available functions.
How do I search functions in the Catalog quickly?
After opening the “Catalog” function, the “alpha” key is already activated. Just enter any available letter and it takes you to that function which starts with the input letter.
What does the “Alpha” symbol on the screen mean?
It indicates that the “alpha” key is pressed. You can use the tertiary options of the calculator which are in the green color about their keys.
How do I see the syntax of any command on the TI-84 Plus CE?
To view the syntax of a command, open the Catalog (by pressing “2nd” + “0”). Scroll to the desired command and press the “+” key. This will show you the syntax of that functionality. You can even paste it.
References:
These screenshots are taken from the TI 84 Plus CE Official Manual. This manual is released officially by TI instruments.
Final Words
It is very important to understand the keys of the TI 84 Plus CE Calculator. The keys are divided into different groups according to their functionalities. From this article you can easily understand the keypad of this calculator. We use step by step images of every key and every command to explain things to you. Moreover we have also added the official video of TI Instruments about how to use the keypad.
You can easily understand how to use the secondary and tertiary functions of the keys. You can control the brightness and darkness of your physical calculator. TI 84 also has an option to load the catalog list. You can see all the available functions with their syntax.
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James Cooper
My name is James Cooper, the author of https://graphingti84calculator.com/. I am a high school math teacher with over 15 years of experience. I also taught the engineering students. I specialized in Algebra, Trigonometry, Calculus, and standardized test preparation. In the United States, I have spent my career in teaching math and engineering students especially with the TI-84 calculator.
I have a passion to make the tough math concepts very easy to understand for my students. I have created this website to guide the students, teachers and other math learners about the TI-84 Calculator. From graphing equations to solving the linear system, I have worked and brought this website for you. With my blogs, guidelines and tutorials, you will be a master in mathematics.