Calculator Programs

Test Preparation ACT Preparation
1

<p>First off, do they check our calculators? Cause if they do then I need to archive them.</p>

<p>I only have 5.</p>

<p>1.Counts diagonals in a polygon if you input the number of sides
2. Gives you the distance if you input (x1,y1,) and (x2,y2)
3. Midpoint formula solver
4. Solves the quadratic equation if you put in a,b, and c
5. Slope solver, input both points</p>

<p>I am looking for these programs which I found in a really old post</p>

<p>"Got a 36 in math thanks to stacking my TI84 SE with programs that solve midpoint, slope, equations of lines, systems of equations, quadratic solvers, polynomial factoring, formulas for "</p>

<p>I think the equations of lines, system of equations and polynomial factoring programs would really help.</p>

<p>What program do you guys use and think I should add to the list?</p>

<p>And btw have they ever tested you on your knowledge of like conic sections?</p>

2

<p>They’ll probably catch you if you bring a CAS calculator, but I don’t think you need to worry about having programs on your calculator.</p>

<p>Besides, they’re really easy to define manually, without use of any calculator program:</p>

<ol>
<li>d(n): = n(n-3)/2</li>
<li>f(x1,y1,x2,y2): = sqrt((x2-x1)^2 + (y2-y1)^2)</li>
<li>f(x1,y1,x2,y2): = (AMean(x1,x2), AMean(y1,y2)) (I think AMean is the syntax, don’t remember)</li>
<li>f(a,b,c): = (-b ± sqrt(b^2 - 4ac))/(2a)</li>
<li>f(x1,y1,x2,y2): = (y2 - y1)/(x2 - x1)</li>
</ol>

3

<p>yeah i know but they save me a few minutes which makes me feel comfortably, does anyone know how to input equations of lines, system of equations and polynomial factoring programs?</p>

4

<p>Not too sure actually, I use a TI-NSpire which does not factor polynomials (I think the CAS does, though). You can solve a system of equations by inputting it into a matrix and using the reduced row-echelon form. However, you probably don’t need these because none of the SAT/ACT questions require a calculator, and one can probably solve them in the same time it takes to input it into a calculator.</p>

5

<p>@Imdad1 Do you have links to those programs you mentioned! It would defintely be help full!</p>

6

<p>No sorry, my friend input them for me. He used advantagepoints underground act calculator program book. Anyone find how to put in what I was looking for?</p>

7

<p>To answer one of your questions, yes they do ask conics information (I have only seen circles), another less frequently asked question is matrices. Know how to multiply and add these and you should be fine.</p>

8

<p>didn’t even know matrices was considered part of conic sections… but I know that stuff. And I know how to do circle problems o_O. Sorry if I am incorrect haha cause I know nothing about conic sections.</p>

<p>Is there anything about like parabolas in the cone and like ellipses and whatever?</p>

9

<p>@Imdad1, matrices aren’t conics. Conics are shapes you obtain when a plane passes through two cones (w/ parallel bases) joined at their vertex. You’ll get either a circle, ellipse, hyperbola, or parabola.</p>

10

<p>I took it last year and they only check to make sure your calc wasn’t a ti 92 or w/e… they didnt check programs</p>

11

<p>I have two programs that just display the arithmetic and geometric sequence formulas and one that displays the change of base formula.</p>

12

<p>they never use geometric sequence or arithmetic sequence questions tho ■■■■■. they just use really easy ones where you can find the common difference or ratio by yourself but damn i forgot the change of base formula one. I forgot how it even works and googling it didn’t help… can you post what you put in your calculator on here? </p>

<p>Looking for equations of lines, system of equations and polynomial factoring programs as well someone please help!</p>

13

<p>I don’t know of any programs that factor polynomials, other than getting a CAS calculator (which is banned on ACT). Don’t worry about it, most of the polynomial factoring/system of equations questions can easily be solved by hand. For example:</p>

<ol>
<li>Solve for x: x^3 + 2x^2 - 5x - 10 = 0</li>
</ol>

<p>Systems of equations can be solved by inputting your equation into a matrix. For example, if you want to solve the system</p>

<p>5x + 4y = 7
2x + 4y = 1</p>

<p>Input the matrix</p>

<p>5 4 7
2 4 1</p>

<p>and use the reduced row-echelon form (rref).</p>

<p>I barely used my calculator during the test and scored a 36 on math.</p>

14

<p>i have no idea how to use the rref? what is that? how do you get to that input command?</p>

15

<p>^^^^I was never taught anything about sequences so the formulas help, and I figure I might as well prepare for the worst, there’s no harm in it. </p>

<p>The change of base program looks like this:</p>

<p>ClrHome
Disp “LOGB(M)=”
Disp “LOGC(M)/LOGC(B)”</p>

<p>LOGB(M) means “Log base B of M”</p>

<p>I might work on a change of base program that actually uses inputs and/or a factoring program, but I’m doing a bunch of reading practice first.</p>

16

<p>rref is reduced row-echelon form, which basically returns a matrix such as</p>

<p>1 0 .3
0 1 .6</p>

<p>Implying that the solution set is (x,y) = (.3,.6). I know that the TI-NSpire and TI-84 have rref, not too sure how to input them on the 84. There’s probably a menu of some sort…NSpire you can just type "rref’ and then the matrix.</p>

17

<p>don’t ti-84s automatically do change of base?? its under MATH and A</p>