Activity Overview
This activity acquaints students with the features and capabilities of the calculator that are used to study concepts related to differential equations. Students graph and solve a range of differential equation problems.
Before the Activity
Use the TI Connect™ and the TI Connectivity Cable to transfer data from the computer to the calculator
See the attached PDF file for detailed instructions for this activity
Print pages 1 - 10 from the attached PDF file for your class
During the Activity
Distribute the pages to the class.
Follow the Activity procedures:
Enter a first or second order differential equation (DE) using the Prime operator
Use the deSolve command to obtain solutions for the DE
Recognize the fact that the independent variable is always t
Enter the initial conditions and plot a graph
Trace the graph to see numerical values corresponding to the solution
Observe the table of values for the solution, and note the values outside the interval
Superimpose the analytic solution on the graph
Repeat the steps for different problems
After the Activity
Students answer the questions on the activity sheet.
Review student results:
As a class, discuss questions that appeared to be more challenging
Re-teach concepts as necessary