13

Simple Programming

Part 1 of this manual introduced you to functions and operations that you can use manually, that is, by pressing a key for each individual operation. And you saw how you can use equations to repeat calculations without doing all of the keystrokes each time.

In part 2, you'll learn how you can use programs for repetitive calculations — calculations that may involve more input or output control or more intricate logic. A program lets you repeat operations and calculations in the precise manner you want.

In this chapter you will learn how to program a series of operations. In the next chapter, "Programming Techniques," you will learn about subroutines and conditional instructions.

Example: A Simple Program.

To find the area of a circle with a radius of 5, you would use the

formula A = π r2 and press

RPN mode: 5 

ALG mode: 5 

to get the result for this circle, 78.5398.

But what if you wanted to find the area of many different circles?

Rather than repeat the given keystrokes each time (varying only the "5" for the different radii), you can put the repeatable keystrokes into a program: