Calculator User Manual
Chapter 2: The
CATALOG
, Variables, and Characters
39
02CATVAR.DOC TI-86, Chap 2, US English Bob Fedorisko Revised: 02/13/01 2:18 PM Printed: 02/13/01 3:00 PM Page 39 of 1002CATVAR.DOC TI-86, Chap 2, US English Bob Fedorisko Revised: 02/13/01 2:18 PM Printed: 02/13/01 3:00 PM Page 39 of 10
Storing Data to Variables
On the TI
-
86, data can be stored to variables in several ways. You can:
♦
Use
X
to store a value to a variable.
♦
Use
=
to store an unevaluated expression to an equation variable.
♦
Use an editor’s
Name=
prompt to store several types of data to a variable.
♦
Change TI
-
86 settings or reset defaults and memory to the factory settings.
♦
Execute functions that cause the TI
-
86 to store data automatically to built-in variables.
The TI
-
86 has built-in variable names with specific purposes, such as equation variables, list
names, statistical result variables, window variables, and
Ans
. You can store values to some
of them. They are introduced in the appropriate chapters of this guidebook.
Creating a Variable Name
You can create your own variable name when you use
X
,
=
, or a
Name=
prompt to store
data. When you create a user-created variable name, follow these guidelines.
♦
The user-created variable name can be from one to eight characters long.
♦
The first character must be a letter, which includes all
CHAR
GREEK
menu items, as well
as Ñ, ñ, Ç, and ç from the
CHAR
MISC
menu.
♦
A user-created variable name cannot replicate a TI
-
86 feature symbol or built-in
variable. For example, you cannot create
abs
, because
abs
is the absolute value
function symbol. You cannot create
Ans
, because it is already a built-in variable name.
♦
The TI
-
86 distinguishes between uppercase and lowercase characters in variable
names. For example,
ANS
,
Ans
, and
ans
are three different variable names. Therefore,
only
Ans
is a built-in variable name;
ANS
and
ans
can be user-created variable names.
This chapter describes the
first two data storage
methods listed here. The
other methods are described
in the appropriate chapters.