The TI-86 and the "Motion Detector"

Notice that your usual browser window is still open. You should arrange these two windows so that they overlap and you can easily switch back-and-forth between them by clicking on the inactive window to make it active.

The first step is to load the TI-86 program, DIST, below into your TI-86. There are three ways to do this.

If you have the TI-86 Graph Link program and the TI Graph Link cable then you can download the program from your computer to the TI-86 in the usual way.
If the program is on another TI-86 then you can transfer it to your TI-86 using the linking cable.
As a last resort you can type the program 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).

Connect the TI-86 to the TI-CBL using the linking cable and plug the motion detector into the SONIC port on the TI-CBL. Make sure the TI-86 and the TI-CBL are both turned on. Then run the program DIST in the usual way. You should see the screen at the right.
The TI-86 is prompting you for the time between each distance measurement (in seconds). 0.02 is a good first try. Type the time between measurements and then press ENTER.

You should see the screen at the right.
The TI-86 is prompting you for the number of distance measurements. 200 is a good first try. Type the number of measurements you would like and then press ENTER.

You should see the screen at the right. You are now ready to collect data for a falling object. One person should press the TRIGGER key on the TI-CBL to start data collection. At the same time another person should drop an object from a point directly above the motion detector. Do not disconnect the TI-CBL from the TI-86.

When the data collection is complete the TI-86 will read the data that was just recorded from the TI-CBL and store it in a list called L₁.

Connect the TI-86 to the TI-CBL using the linking cable and plug the motion detector into the SONIC port on the TI-CBL. Make sure the TI-86 and the TI-CBL are both turned on. Then run the program DIST in the usual way. You should see the screen at the right. The TI-86 is prompting you for the time between each distance measurement (in seconds). 0.02 is a good first try. Type the time between measurements and then press ENTER.
You should see the screen at the right. The TI-86 is prompting you for the number of distance measurements. 200 is a good first try. Type the number of measurements you would like and then press ENTER.
You should see the screen at the right. You are now ready to collect data for a falling object. One person should press the TRIGGER key on the TI-CBL to start data collection. At the same time another person should drop an object from a point directly above the motion detector. Do not disconnect the TI-CBL from the TI-86.