HP (Hewlett-Packard) 17bII Calculator User Manual


 
166 12: The Equation Solver
File name : English-M02-1-040308(Print).doc Print data : 2004/3/9
×
+
(5)
BC
A
DE
could be entered as

What Can Appear in an Equation
Long Equations. There is no limit on the length of an equation (or the
number of variables it has) if there is enough memory to store it. An
equation longer than one display line (22 characters) moves to the left
and adds an ellipsis (...).
To view a long equation, move the cursor using the arrow keys on the
ALPHA-Edit menu. For example:

looks like

when it is stored. Press to view successive
portions of the equation:

Spaces. You can use as many spaces as you like between variables,
operators, and numbers.
Names of Variables. A variable’s name can be up to 10 characters
long, but cannot contain the characters x
÷ ^ ( ) space
The first three to five characters (depending on their widths) become the
variable’s menu label. Therefore, make sure no two variables in the
same equation have the same first three to five characters.
Do not use AND, NOT, OR, XOR, or PI as variable names because they
will be interpreted as functions.
Numbers (Constants). Do not put commas or other characters in
numbers. For instance, type

for ten thousand (not

).