5-4 Polar Graphing
8305POLR.DOC TI-83 international English Bob Fedorisko Revised: 02/19/01 12:19 PM Printed: 02/19/01 1:36
PM Page 4 of 6
To define or edit a polar equation, follow the steps in
Chapter 3 for defining a function or editing a function. The
independent variable in a polar equation is q. In Pol
graphing mode, you can enter the polar variable q in either
of two ways.
• Press „.
• Press ƒ ãqä.
The TI-83 graphs only the selected polar equations. In the
Y= editor, a polar equation is selected when the = sign is
highlighted. You may select any or all of the equations.
To change the selection status, move the cursor onto the
= sign, and then press Í.
To display the window variable values, press p.
These variables define the viewing window. The values
below are defaults for Pol graphing in Radian angle mode.
qmin=0 Smallest q value to evaluate
qmax=6.2831853... Largest q value to evaluate (2p)
qstep=.1308996... Increment between q values (pà24)
Xmin=L10 Smallest X value to be displayed
Xmax=10 Largest X value to be displayed
Xscl=1 Spacing between the X tick marks
Ymin=L10 Smallest Y value to be displayed
Ymax=10 Largest Y value to be displayed
Yscl=1 Spacing between the Y tick marks
Note: To ensure that sufficient points are plotted, you may want to
change the q window variables.
Defining and
Editing Polar
Equations
Selecting and
Deselecting Polar
Equations
Setting Window
Variables