The program below, boyle, is used by your TI-92 together with the TI-CBL to make and record pressure readings. If your workstation has a TI-Graph Link cable and the appropriate software installed then you can download the program from this computer to the calculator. Otherwise you can transfer the program from your instructor's TI-92 using a linking cable or, as a last resort, you can type it in.
There have been numerous problems downloading programs for TI graphing calculators using the method above. If that method works, it is very clean. Sometimes, however, it doesn't work. In that case we can fall back on an older method, uuencoding, that is less user-friendly but more reliable. Click here for more information about this method. Then click here for a uuencoded (text file).
After you've entered the program into your TI-92, connect the TI-92 to the CBL using the linking cable and plug the cable from the pressure sensor into the channel 1 port of the CBL. Make sure that the TI-CBL is turned on. Run the program boyle by typing boyle() and then pressing ENTER from the home screen. You should se the screen below prompting you to set the plunger at 20 cc., open and close the relief valve, and then press the TRIGGER key on the TI-CBL.
Follow the first paragraph of instructions. Set the plunger at 20 cubic centimeters. Then open and close the pressure relief valve. For the remainder of this experiment the pressure relief valve should remain closed. You should see the READY indicator on the TI-CBL. Now press the TRIGGER key on the TI-CBL. It will make one pressure reading that will be recorded by the TI-92 producing the screen below. This screen shows one reading and the predictions made by Boyle's law for subsequent readings.
Follow the remaining instructions -- set the plunger at 19 cubic centimeters and then press the TRIGGER key on the TI-CBL. It will make one pressure reading that will be recorded by the TI-92.
Continue in this way, making and recording a series of pressure measurements with the volume = 20, 19, 18, 17, ... 5. Be sure to pause briefly after each reading to allow the TI-92 time to record and graph the reading.
The volumes are stored in the list volume and the pressure readings are stored in the list pressure. You can examine them using the usual TI-92 capabilities.