TSBVI Technology Institute

Using the Accessible Graphing Calculator

Susan A. Osterhaus

Locating AGC files under Programs

Press the Continue Button, assuming your AGC is not registered.

F7 - Enlarge the AGC screen
F8 - Decrease the size of the AGC screen
Arrow left from Calculator Tab Page to Speech Tab Page (You may reach any other tab page by arrowing when you are in a Tab Page heading.)
Alt-s - toggles speech off and on
CTRL-r - reads the item that has focus except in menus

Sound Effects
Allow Self-Voicing
Voices - Arrow among voices VERY SLOWLY or program will crash. Select Mary or Sam by entering m or s.
Speech rate slider - adjust with arrows - start slow
Speech pitch slider - adjust with arrows - around 65 initially
Speech volume slider - find your comfort zone
Continue to TAB past the bottom buttons and you will return to the Speech Tab Page

Data Set Volume - set at 50
Play Y axis tick marks - unchecked
Tick Mark Volume slider - set at 50
Play noise below Y threshold (check or uncheck with space bar)
Y threshold value - set to 0
Wave file length slider - set at 10
Wave type - set to stereo if your computer has stereo speakers. The broadcast will not be in stereo, so you will only be able to appreciate this option if you have your own computer with stereo speakers.
Minimum Frequency Slider - set at 200
Maximum Frequency Slider - set at 2500
Return to the Wave Tab Page

Source (use arrows to move among various choices) set to Data Set 1.
X min - set at -10 (to delete, highlight with CTRL-a and then press the DEL key)
X max - set at 10
Number of Points to Plot -set to 500 (Don't set higher than 1000.)
Y min - ignore
Y max - ignore
Autoscale y-axis (If you choose to uncheck this box, you must set Y min and Y max above.)
Draw data points - unchecked (I PREFER )
Draw line through data
Draw error bars - unchecked
Show x-axis
Show y axis
Show x axis labels
Show y-axis labels
Plot frame - set to tick marks or grid lines
Plot data derivative - UNCHECKED. This is the last item on the Plot Tab page, even though it is listed near the top. Return to the Plot Tab page.

Tab to Expression 1 edit box.
Delete any characters in this box.
Example 1: Type a single x.
Press ENTER or F4 to calculate your data table. (Using F4 requires that the source be set to Data Set 1. It's safer to use ENTER. You will hear a short tone when the computation is finished.)
Display the graph on screen with F3.
Play the audio graph by pressing F5.
You should see and hear a straight line starting in quadrant 3, passing through (0,0), and ending in quadrant 1. You should hear some static while the line is below the x-axis (when y < 0), and none when the line passes through (0,0) and goes above the x-axis. You should hear the line rise from left to right, and if you have stereo speakers, you will notice the tone going from the left speaker to the right speaker.

Tab to Expression 2 edit box.
Delete any characters in this box.
Example 2: Type x^2.
Press ENTER or F4 to calculate your data table. (Using F4 requires that the source be set to Data Set 1. It's MUCH EASIER to use ENTER. You will hear a short tone when the computation is finished.)
Display the graph on screen with F3.
Play the audio graph by pressing F5.

Example 3: Move to the end of the expression x^2 with the END key and type -10.
Press ENTER
Display the graph on screen with F3.
Play the audio graph by pressing F5.
Note the differences and similarities to x^2.
Press ALT-PgDn and the tone graph will display the first minimum.
Read the values of x and y by pressing ALT-x to voice the x value and ALT-y to voice the y value.

Use the x*sin(x) graph.
Enter CTRL P.
Compose a print graph with print font. Change all settings to your requirements.
Compose a print graph with braille font. Change all settings to your requirements.
Compose a TIGER braille graph with braille font.

Show Various Graphs created on the AGC. Compare with Graph-It.

Please complete the comment form or send comments and suggestions to: Jim Allan (Webmaster-Jim Allan)

Last Revision: October 29, 2002