Sketchpad for TI Calculators: FAQ

Get answers to the most frequently asked questions about using The Geometer's Sketchpad on Texas Instruments' graphing calculators.

Where can I download Sketchpad for my TI calculator?

The Geometer's Sketchpad for TI calculators comes preinstalled with every new Voyage 200 and TI-92 Plus in the United States. In other countries, find it on the CD-ROM accompanying your calculator. It is a FLASH app that you can download to your calculator from your computer. While the TI-92 Plus has been discontinued, you can still download Sketchpad for the TI-92 Plus for free. You can also download Sketchpad for the TI-89 Titanium for free.

How different is Sketchpad on TI calculators from the PC or Mac Sketchpad?

For users of desktop Sketchpad, the calculator version will look very familiar, and students easily move between the two. The Geometer's Sketchpad for TI Calculators shares desktop Sketchpad's arrangement of Construct, Transform, Measure, and Graph menus, and has a similar toolbox at the edge of the screen. Not every feature of desktop Sketchpad is available on the calculator due to the black-and-white, smaller screen. True mathematical notation has been replaced by conventional calculator notation to conserve screen space; color, arcs, and clipboard cut/copy/paste are similarly unavailable. However, Sketchpad for TI Calculators has many of the same capabilities as the latest version of desktop Sketchpad. The Graph menu allows you to plot functions given their equation, letting students build bridges between algebra and geometry. Split and Merge commands allow you to edit an existing construction, changing its properties to explore new and related cases. Animation is powerful and easy to use—any object can be animated at any time, and you can interact with a sketch by dragging or using action buttons while objects are animating—enabling you to investigate dozens of related cases instantly. Custom tools allow one to create new tools for any Sketchpad construction in a single command, allowing students to add polygons, arrows, conics, and ever more sophisticated objects to their construction vocabulary as they grow in geometric understanding and confidence.

If you are an experienced user of the desktop version of Sketchpad, we know that you will enjoy Sketchpad on the Voyage 200, TI-92 Plus, or TI-89 Titanium. If you are new to Sketchpad, the TI Calculator version will provide an excellent introduction to the full potential of this popular, effective software.

Can I import sketches from the PC or Mac to my TI calculator?

Sketches created on the present PC or Mac version cannot be downloaded onto TI calculators. You can transfer sketches between two TI calculators using the Var Link cable, and you can transfer sketches from calculator to computer using TI-GRAPH LINK, enabling sketches to be transmitted by email or posted on the Web.

Where do I go for technical support on Sketchpad for TI calculators?

Texas Instruments provides all customer service and support for Sketchpad on the Voyage 200, TI-92 Plus, and TI-89 Titanium. See How to Contact Texas Instruments for a variety of options.