Solving Physics Problems with your TI 83 Calculator

By David Doty

 

       This web site is designed to help students become familiar with the use of the TI 83 and TI 83+ calculators for use in physics classes.  While the use of this web page is not limited to physics students, the concepts addressed here tend to cause problems facing physics students. 

 

 

 
                                                   

 
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


How to input scientific notation with your TI  (shortcut)

 

The use of the [EE] key.

 

For many calculators, including the TI –83 and TI 83 Plus, the [EE] button is used to enter scientific notation.  The [EE] button can be found in yellow above the comma key [,].  For entering scientific notation, the following keystrokes should be used:  first type the number, then the 2nd key followed by the comma key, [2nd] [,]  [EE], followed by the exponent.  As an example, to enter 3 x 108 type [3] [EE] [8].  The display will read 3E8.

       The calculator can be set to display answers in scientific notation or normal display.  To set the display, simply press the mode button and using the arrow keys select the desired display and press enter.  To leave this menu, press [2nd] [MODE] to quit.

       Follow these examples for inputting basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

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Addition:

 

Add:                      8.1 x 106 + 4.2 x 105

Type:                    8.1 [EE] 6 [+] 4.2 [EE] 5

Displayed answer:  8.52E6

Numerical answer: 8.52 x 106 = 8,520,000

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Subtraction

Subtract:         6.2 x 10-3 – 2.8 x 10-4

Type:                    6.2 [EE] -3 [–] 2.8 [EE] -4

Numerical answer: 5.92E-3

Numerical answer: 5 x 10-3 = 0.00592

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Multiplication

 

Multiply:        (3 x 106) (2 x 103)

Type:                    3 [EE] 6 [X] 2 [EE] 3

Displayed answer:  6E9 

Numerical answer: 6 x 109 = 6,000,000,000

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Division

 

Divide:                 

Type:                    6 [EE] 8 [] 2 [EE] 10

Displayed answer:  3E-2

Numerical answer: 3 x 10-2 = 0.03

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Sample Physics Problems

 

1)  What is the magnitude of the gravitational force between an electron and a proton separated by a distance of 1.0 x 10-10 meters?                                                                                                      answer

2)  A positive charge of 6.0 x 10-6 C is 0.030 m from a second positive charge of                  3.0 x 10-6 C.  Calculate the electric force between the charges.                                                                       answer

3)  In a vacuum, the wavelength of green light is 5 x 10-7 meter.  What is its frequency?                                                                                                  answer

4)  What is the energy of a photon with a frequency of 3.00 x 1013 cycles per second?

answer

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Answers to Sample Physics Problems

 

1) Calculate gravitational force via Newton's Universal Law of Gravitation

 

Type: 
6.67 [EE] -11 [X] 9.11 [EE] -31 [X] 1.67 [EE] -27 [] 1 [EE] -10 [x2]

 

Calculator Display:   
6.67E-11 * 9.11E-31 * 1.67E-27 / 1E-102

 

      Displayed answer:        1.0E-47

      Numerical answer:     1.0 x 10-47

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2) Calculate Coloumb Force via Coloumb's Law:

 

Type in: 

8.99 [EE] 9 [X] 6.0 [EE] -6 [X] 3.0 [EE] -6 [] .030 [x2]

Calculator Display:

8.99E9 * 6.00E-6 * 3.00E-6 / .0302

Displayed answer:  179.8

Numerical answer: 179.8

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3) Hz

 

Type in:                 3 [EE] 8 [X] 5 [EE] -7

Calculator display:         3E8/5E-7 

Displayed answer: 6E14

Numerical answer: 6.0 x 1014

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4) J

 

Type in:                 6.63EE-34 X 3EE13

Calculator display:         6.63E34 * 3E13

Displayed answer:  1.99E-20

Numerical answer: 1.99 x 10-20

                                           Back to Problems

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Inputting using parentheses

 

For those of you who do not want to use the EE button on the calculator, yes parentheses can be used to enter equations.

Example from the division section above:

Divide: 

 

This can be entered:  (6 [X] 10 [^] 8) [] (2 [X] 10 [^] 10)

 

Answer:  3E-2 = 3 x 10-2                                                 

TI orders of operation

 

       The problem with typing in [X] 10 [^] (exponent) is that the TI 83 calculators do not distinguish scientific notation from multiplication and division.  This becomes problematic when dividing numbers in scientific notation.  As an example look at question 3 from the sample physics problems.

 

In a vacuum, the wavelength of green light is 5 X 10-7 meter.  What is its frequency?

 

The solution is: 

 

However if a student mistakenly types in: 
3 [X] 10 [^] 8 [/] 5 [X] 10 [^] -7

the TI gives the answer of 6.

 

This is the orders of operations that the TI follows for this example:

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Rationale:  

Although one of the goals of the new NYS standards is to increase conceptual understanding of physics, students still need to be able to mathematically solve physics problems.  Many students use the Texas Instrument calculators (TI 83 and TI 83+) as a tool for solving problems and we need to clarify the problems that students have in using this tool.  The TI calculators do not use common sense when performing calculations, so the students need to correctly input the data to get the correct outcomes.

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David Doty

 

David Doty is currently teaching NYS Regents Physics, Environmental Science, and various science laboratories at Salamanca City Central Schools.  He has a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics from the State University of New York at Buffalo and is working on the completion of his Masters in Physics Education at Buffalo State College. 

If you wish to contact me, please email me at ddoty@salamancany.org