TI-Lists/Creating

Lists can be created, stored and accessed in several ways. On the Home Screen, simple list operations can be performed. The editor in the STAT menu is used for more comprehensive needs.

A list must have at least one element in it. Trying to work with a list with no elements, will cause an error message.

On the home screen

To enter a list of real numbers on the home screen, start with a curly bracket: {. Follow this with the numbers in the list separated by commas. End the list with a closing curly bracket: }.

The open-curly is the 2nd function on the open-parenthesis key, just above the 8 key. The comma key is just above the 7 key. The close-curly is on the close-parenthesis key, just above the 9 key. (TI-86)

Pressing ENTER after creating a list in this way, displays it without commas.

{3,5,8,1}

{3 5 8 1}

If the list is to long to display in one line, the first part is shown followed by an ellipsis (...). At this point, more of the list can be viewed by pressing the Right and Left arrow keys to move it in either direction. If something is entered on the next line, the list will no longer move.

To store a list from the home screen, use the STO key, either on the same line as creating the list or the next line. Choose a list variable L1 through L6. (2nd function on the 1 through 6 keys.) (TI-86)

{3,5,8,1,4} STO> L1

{3 5 8 1 4}

{-6,0} STO> L2

{-6 0}

To access a list after it has been stored, use the same list variable key. (Lists can be stored using other single letter variable names on the home screen, but access them is more complicated and will be covered later.)

L1

{3 5 8 1 4}

In the STAT Editor

STAT:1 is used to enter a list in this editor. (Press the STAT key. It is just below the DEL key. Press ENTER or 1, to access the editor.) The first three L-variables are displayed with their values, if any. (TI-86) Use the Left and Right arrows to access more lists. Enter numbers into the list, pressing ENTER or the Down arrow, after each one.

After creating a list, you can move to the right to access another one.

The STAT Editor can also be used to modify lists.

• To delete a number from a list, move down to highlight it, and press DEL.
• To change a number in a list, highlight the old value, and enter the new value. When you hit ENTER or Down, it is replaced.
• To insert a new place in a list, highlight the first number that will follow the new one, and press 2nd:INS(DEL). A zero value will be inserted and highlighted, which can then immediately be replaced by typing in the new number.

It is often handy to view long lists in this editor. Seven values are displayed in each of three lists, and as you scroll down all the values can be seen.

With arithmetic or functions

In the next sections we cover lists in arithmetic operations, lists in arithmetic functions and list functions. Each time a list is used in an arithmetic calculation a new list is created. Each time a list is used in an arithmetic function a new list is created. Some of the list functions create an answer that is a list. These new lists can be stored in a list variable or used in another arithmetic or list operation.

Links

Next: Arithmetic

Back to: TI-Lists