Find Normal Distribution on a TI-83 Calculator

The TI-83 is a standard Texas Instruments graphing calculator. Some schools provide these to their students, while others require you to buy your own. A TI-83 can be a big purchase, especially for a high school student. Make sure you get the most out of the calculator by learning everything it can do. One function you may need is finding normal distribution with the TI-83. Normal distribution is the area of a set of data that forms a symmetrical bell-shaped curve. It is evenly distributed on both sides.

Instructions:

Finding Normal Distribution with the TI-83
1. Press the "2nd" key. The "2nd" key is usually yellow.

2. Press the "VARS" key. It is the distribution function. It will display a list.

3. Select "2:normalcdf(" from the list by pressing "2" or using the cursor. The cdf stands for cumulative distribution function. This option will help you calculate normal distribution probabilities—the area under the curve. Press "Enter." The screen will display "normalcdf(."

4. Type "-1,1)" into the screen. This will add onto the end of the previous display so that it reads like this: normalcdf(-1,1).

5. Press "Enter" to calculate the normal distribution. In this case, it is 0.6827, which means 68.27 percent.
  

Graphing Normal Distribution with the TI-83
1. Press "2nd" and "VARS."

2. Choose the menu option for the function you wish to graph, such as "1:normalpdf(."

3. Input your data as you did before.

4. Set the window size to show your data on the screen. Guidelines can be found online or from your teacher.

5. Type the value of "x" using "TRACE." Press "Enter."

Graph Slope on a TI-83 Plus Calculator

To graph a slope on a TI-83 calculator, you must know the slope's linear function. The linear function equation is y=mx+b. The slope is m. B is where the slope crosses the y axis on the graph. Y and x are the x and y coordinates for the graph. Once you input this function into the TI-83, the TI-83 automatically makes the graph for you.

Instructions
1. Press "Y=."

2. Enter your equation on the first line. "Y=" is already in the calculator, so you only need to enter everything to the right of the equals (=) sign in your formula.
   
3. Press "Zoom" then "6." This sets the zoom view. The view on "6" is the ZStandard view. If you choose to, play with the other zooms until you find one you prefer. The zoom function may be different depending on the type of graph you use.

4. Press "Graph." This displays your graph with the zoom settings you set in the previous step.