TI-83 Troubleshooting: Graphing Polar Equations in Degrees & Radians

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around troubleshooting issues related to graphing polar equations on the TI-83 calculator, specifically concerning the discrepancies observed when switching between degrees and radians. Participants explore the implications of mode settings on the graphing output.

Discussion Character

  • Technical explanation, Debate/contested, Exploratory

Main Points Raised

  • One participant reports that their TI-83 displays graphs intended for radians when in degree mode and vice versa, leading to unexpected visual outputs.
  • Another participant suggests checking the "window" settings, noting that the theta step remains constant regardless of the mode, which can lead to misleading graph representations.
  • A third participant expresses dissatisfaction with the graph's appearance, speculating about potential hardware issues despite having used the calculator without problems previously.
  • A later reply indicates that the issue was resolved with assistance from someone experienced with calculators, though the specific solution remains unclear.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the underlying cause of the initial graphing issue, with some attributing it to settings while others consider potential hardware problems. The discussion includes both troubleshooting advice and personal experiences without a definitive resolution.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include the lack of detailed exploration into the calculator's settings and functions, as well as the absence of a clear explanation of the resolution process that worked for the participant who sought help.

Andromeda321
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Anyone know enough about TI-83s to help me out? For some reason whenever I try to graph a polar equation on mine it gives me what the graph should look like for radians when degrees is the mode of choice and vice versa. For example, if I were to graph sin(theta) I get a nice pretty circle when the mode is in degrees but when radians is selected it gives me a psychotic bunch of lines sort of going around a circle (despite this when I hit trace in the degree mode it'll give every angle in degrees for what's the radian picture). Can someone help me out on this? Because I'd really like to figure out what's with it ASAP, none of my friends are sure... :bugeye:
 
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Check the size of your "window". Graphing in polar coord mode, that will include a "step" on theta that does not change if you change from degrees to radians.

I just tried that: I had a theta step of 1 (degree) and got a good picture. I changed into radian mode and the step stayed at "1" but now that was 1 radian- so my picture consisted of lines connecting (cos(n), sin(n)) for n= 1 to 360 RADIANS!
 
Hmmm I still don't like the look of it... unless you're supposed to get many many little triangles that eventually form a great black swarth versus a simple line... a few people have said maybe there's some wire crossed accidentally but I've used it for years and never had problems, but then I've never graphed polar stuff either. :confused:
 
Update: I flagged down someone more experienced than I at calculator nuances and the problem got fixed after a few minutes of rapid button pressing. Yay!
 

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