How can you tell whether your calculator follows the order of operation

Be careful with the order of operations. Try (ln(55)-1)/2You can never have to many parenthesis. remberr PEMDAS ln is an exponent so you want to put it inside parenthesis in oder to follow the Order of operations.

The order in which you are entering numbers and operations is not correct. For example, if you enter 5++2 most calculators will flag this as a syntax error.
On some calculators you calculate square roots as follows: 25 [SQRT]= gives 5. That is the correct syntax for this type of calculators.
For the newer ones you press the SQRT key and see displayed the square root symbol followed by a left parenthesis. You enter the number, close the right parenthesis, then =. If you do not respect the order you get a syntax error.
I cannot say more because I have no idea what you were trying to do, and more importantly, I do not know the make and model of the calculator.

That depends on the order of the polynomial. If the polynomial is of second order, the quadratic formula will give you its roots. There are similar formulae for third, fourth, and fifth order polynomials, and it has been proven that no such formulae exist for higher-order polynomials.
Some TI calculators have a numerical solver which can produce numerical solutions to arbitrary polynomials. Since you declined to specify the model of your calculator, I'm afraid I can't tell you whether yours has one or not.
If you need further assistance, please reply to this post and be sure to specify the model of your calculator.

There are 1000 m in a km and 3600 sec in an hr. Thus, multiplying 40.32 km/hr by 1000 m/km gives 40320 m/hr. Dividing this by 3600 sec/hr gives 11.2 m/sec.

Of course, the two operations can be done in the other order.

Some calculators have unit conversions built-in. Without knowing the make and model of your calculator, I can't tell you whether yours does so or not, let alone tell you the keystroke sequence to do it.

If you're pressing the keys
(-) 1 0 5 ^ 2 ENTER
then you're not squaring a negative number, you're negating a square. This sequence of keystrokes calculates -(105^2), and -11025 is the correct answer for this.

Since the ^ operator binds more tightly than the (-) operator, you need to tell the calculator you want to override the order of operations, just as you would if you wanted an addition done before a multiplication. Press
( (-) 1 0 5 ) ^ 2 ENTER and you will see the expected result.

This calculator does not support the modulus operation directly, you have to simulate by a divide followed by a subtraction and a multiplication. Suppose you want to calculate 256 mod 17:

1. Key in 256 [÷] 17 [=] and get the result 15,0588...
2. Note the 15 in front of the decimal separator and key in [−] 15 [=]
3. Get the modulus: [×] 17 [=], result should be 1.

Hello,
Read the following from the TI knowledge Base. Hope it helps

Reinstalling the OS fot the TI84Plus

How do I correct the Error Waiting...Please Install Calculator SoftwareNow message on my TI-83 Plus family or TI-84 Plus family calculator?

If an operating system (OS) update fails or is interrupted, the calculator will be in an inoperable state with the message Waiting...Please install calculator software now.The most common cause of a transfer being interrupted is updating the operating system on a calculator with low batteries. Users will need to use the TI Connectivity cable and the TI Connect to send the operating system to the calculator. Make sure to have the latest version of TI Connect installed on the computer.
In order to install the software please follow these steps:
1. Connect the TI Connectivity cable between the computer and the calculator.
2. Click on Start >> Programs >> TI Tools >> TI Connect >> TI OSDownloader
3. Follow the on-screen directions to reinstall the calculator's OS.
If the message "Error! Press any key to turn unit off. Then turn unit back on." appears on the graphing calculator, quickly, remove one battery from the calculator and reinstall it while the transfer is taking place.

Hello,
You are not using the right syntax. It has to do with priority of operations. raising a number to a power has priority over the negation sign (the change sign key). Th operations you are performing are treated as follows.
1. The square of 2 is calculated first (4),
2. then the negation (change sign) is performed, giving -4.

To get what you intend, namely the square of a negative number, you should enter the calculation as follows.
(-2)^2.
Since the parentheses have priority over everything else, the negation of 2 is calculated first, giving -2, then the power is performed next, and the result should be 4

If you need convincing, here is a screen capture.



Hope it helps.

Sorry, these ended up in reverse order. Parts 1-3 merely tell how to switch it on when new. Enjoy

when you type -2 imagine your calculator doing the equation: -1 x 2. The - sign actually stands for a -1 so when you do -2 squared your calculator is simply following order of operations. It first squares the 2 making it 4, then it multiplies the negative making it -4. In order to get around this you must use parenthese. (-2)^2.

Hope this helped