Calculating combinations on a TI-84 calculator is straightforward using the built-in combination function. Here’s how you do it:
Access the Math Menu: Press the MATH button to access the Math menu.
Select the Prob Function: choose PROB and then select 3:nCr and press ENTER. This will open the combination function.
Enter the Values:
Enter the total number of items nn. Enter the number of items to choose kk. Perform the Calculation: After entering nn and kk, press ENTER again to calculate the number of combinations.
The calculator will display the result, which is the number of ways to choose kk items from a set of nn items without regard to the order of selection.
Here’s an example: If you want to calculate the number of combinations for choosing 3 items from a set of 5, you would:
Press MATH to access the Math menu. choose PROB, select 3:nCr, and press ENTER. Enter 5 for nn and 3 for kk. Press ENTER to get the result. The TI-84 calculator will then display the number of combinations, which in this case is 10.
Remember that the combination formula is n!k!∗(n−k)!k!∗(n−k)!n!, where !! denotes factorial. The calculator performs this calculation for you when you use the comb function.