How to Make a Simple Program to Simplify Radicals on a TI 84

Easy to follow instructions on making a simple program to simplify radicals on a TI 84

Last Updated: February 6, 2023

It can be difficult to simplify radicals. Even if you have a calculator, it's a challenge to remember the steps and get them in the right order. Fortunately, you can program your TI-84 calculator to simplify radicals for you. Don't know how? This wikiHow will teach you how to create your own TI-84 program to easily simply radicals.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Creating the Program

1
Create a new program. To do this, press the PRGRM button, use the right-arrow to scroll to NEW, and then press ENTER.^{[1]
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2
Enter a name for the program and press ↵ Enter. Something like "SIMPRAD" should suffice. You can use up to 8 characters in your program name. After entering the program name, press ENTER to save it.

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3
Write Prompt N. Press PRGRM, go to the I/O tab and select Prompt. Then type the letter N and press ENTER.
4
Store 1 in C. Type 1, then press STO>, then type C and hit ENTER.
5
Store 2 in F. Type 2, then press STO>, then type F and hit ENTER.
6
Write While F≤ √(N).
- Press PRGRM and select While.
- Write the letter F.
- Press 2ND and then MATH (test).
- Select the ≤ symbol.
- Write √(N) and hit ENTER.
7
Write While fPart(N/F²)=0. Because this part is wider than your screen, the line may be broken into two parts.
- Press PRGRM and select While.
- Press MATH.
- Go to the NUM tab and select fPART.
- Type >N/F², close the parentheses, and
- Press 2ND and then MATH (test).
- Select = and enter 0 (equal to zero).^{[2]
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8
Store C*F in C. Write C*F, press STO>, write C, and hit ENTER.
9
Store N/F² in N. Write N/F², press STO>, write N, and hit ENTER.
10
Write End. Press PRGRM, select End, and hit ENTER.
11
Write If F=2.
- Press PRGRM, select If, and write F.
- Then, press 2ND and then MATH.
- Select =, write 2, and hit ENTER.
12
Store 1 in F. Type 1 and then press STO>. Then, type F and hit ENTER.
13
Store 2+F in F. Type 2+F and then press STO>. Next, type F and hit ENTER.
14
Write End. Press PRGRM, select End, and then hit ENTER.
15
Write Disp C,"√(", N. Here's how:
- Press PRGRM.
- Go to the I/O tab and select Disp.
- Type C and press ALPHA +, 2ND, x², ALPHA + and write N.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Running the Program

1
Exit the program editor. After you're finished creating the program, press 2ND and then QUIT to exit. Your changes will be saved automatically.
2
Open the program. To open your program, press the PRGRM button on the calculator, scroll to your program, select it, and then press ENTER.
3
Enter the number under the radical you want to simplify. For example, if you want to simplify √(88), you'd enter 88.
4
Press ENTER. The first number displayed is the coefficient of the simplified radical, while the second is the number under the simplified radical.