TI-Nspire™ Widgets

Arrow Keys – Select Object Variant

When an object is selected, press the up or down arrow keys to cycle through its available versions. For example, you can change the type of a resistor using the arrows. If more versions are available, arrow icons will also appear on the edge of the screen.

Enter – Duplicate Object

When an object is selected, pressing Enter duplicates it. A new, identical object appears below the original. This also works when multiple objects are selected — each one is duplicated in place.

Tab – Flip or mirror the object

Use the Tab key to flip or mirror the selected object. The behavior depends on the object – examples: Charges switch sign (plus ↔ minus), field or force directions reverse, and electronic components like diodes or batteries mirror.

Name the object

When an object that supports naming is selected, start typing directly from the keyboard. For force vectors, numbers after the letter F are automatically formatted as subscripts (e.g. F1 → F₁). The same applies to electric current (I1 → I₁) or resistance labels (R3 → R₃).

Space – Add text element

Press the spacebar to add a text element. The element will appear where the mouse pointer is located. Use the arrow keys to add arrows to the label, for example, to indicate the direction of current.

Right-click – Draw lines

You can draw lines directly using the right mouse button. This is useful for adding missing parts to geometric figures or connecting components in circuits. Just right-click at the start and end points — no extra tool needed.

Area selection – Select multiple objects

You can move, duplicate, mirror or delete multiple objects at once using area selection. This is useful, for example, when creating variations of the same structure for exercises.

Drawing force diagrams

Draw a force diagram by selecting objects and forces from the menu. You can also add a force using the shortcut keys F, G, and N. Vectors move at fixed angles and step lengths. By selecting all diagram elements from the Force menu, they move at the same angles, making it easy to achieve a clean result.

Name the active force using the keyboard. From the second character onward, the letters automatically become subscript. For example, Fµ is created by typing Fmu or Fmy.

Automatic vector components for forces

By selecting automatic vector components, the xy-coordinate axes appear. Rotating them will automatically display the components for each vector.

Watch video

Net force and acceleration

When an object is selected, you can choose to display ∑F or a. The object's acceleration and the net force acting on it are drawn automatically. Feature available since version 4.8.

Watch video

Drawing electric circuits

Drawing electric circuits is quick using the shortcut keys shown in the menus — for example, X = lamp, R = resistor, V = voltmeter, A = ammeter. You can draw wires by right-clicking. The up/down arrow keys cycle through various styles like lamp brightness or resistor type. Objects snap to an invisible grid by default, making alignment easy. You can flip components like a battery by pressing the TAB key.

Watch video

Circuit potential graph

When the potential graph is active, you can enter potential values separated by commas, for example: 9, 3, 1.5, 0. The graph will be generated automatically. You can then add components to the circuit to match the potential changes.

Watch video

Sketching graphs

Sometimes you need to sketch the shape of a graph without precise values. For this, you can use lines, Bezier curves, and freeform shapes added with the right mouse button. The SmartDraw feature automatically detects whether you want to draw a straight or curved line.

Energy level diagram

List or paste energy values from the clipboard, separated by commas. You can add arrows to represent energy changes from the same menu, and use photons of different wavelengths to illustrate released energy.

Watch video

Electric and magnetic fields

Electric and magnetic fields can be added to force diagrams. The direction of the field can be flipped with the TAB key. To analyze directions, you can use the right-hand rule – the hand image can be rotated using the up/down arrow keys or by dragging it.

Illustrating nuclear decay

You can draw atomic nuclei of different sizes by specifying the number of neutrons and protons. The diagram can be enhanced with text boxes and arrows. A separate object is available for writing decay equations.

Waves and Standing Waves

By selecting a standing wave, a model of it will be displayed. Use the up/down arrow keys to adjust the number of nodes and antinodes, as well as the initial phase.

Wave Reflection and Refraction

Illustrates how a wave reflects and refracts when passing from one medium to another. You can adjust the angle of incidence by dragging the ray. Press TAB to swap the refractive indices of the two media.

Watch video

Double Slit Interference

Illustrates wavefront interference caused by a double slit. You can enhance the diagram by adding points using the shortcut key P and inserting text boxes. The symbol ∆ can be written as Delta and λ as lambda.

Watch video

Visualizing Fractions and Mixed Numbers

You can visualize fractions and operations such as simplification using fraction models. Just enter the numerator and denominator.

Visualizing Percentages

Helps illustrate the concept of percentage. Enter a value and see how much of the whole it represents. You can change the color using the color palette.

Sketching in 2D Geometry

You can sketch 2D geometry figures to support problem solving. Unlike in the Geometry app, the purpose is to make quick draft-like illustrations—like using pencil and ruler on paper.
You can add basic shapes, draw segments with the right mouse button, or use the freehand drawing tool. Add text labels and dimensions as needed.

Watch video

Sketching 3D Geometric Shapes

You can sketch rough 3D shapes to support visualization. Select predefined 3D forms like cylinder, cube, and sphere, and add lines, measurements, or labels as needed.

Sign Chart and Behavior of Functions

Paste, for example, the zeros of a function computed with the zeros() command into the corresponding cell.
Click the cells to toggle between +, −, and arrows. Use the space between rows to mark intervals or endpoints. Use the space between columns to draw connecting lines. You can also enhance the chart with auxiliary elements like parabolas or lines with sign markers.

Watch video

Vectors and Vector Operations

You can quickly add vectors using the V shortcut key. Place a vector by dragging its endpoints with the mouse or by entering an expression like v=[3, 4] or v=3i+4j. Then define other vectors using expressions such as w=-v or w=2v. A unit vector is created by entering v^0.

Watch video

Angle Between Vectors

The angle between vectors object calculates and illustrates the angle between two vectors. The vectors forming the angle are drawn with dashed lines, making the angle visible even if the vectors are located in different places in the diagram. Refer to vectors by their names.

Special Tables for Mathematical Use

Use the division table to perform polynomial division like on paper. New rows are added as you move forward with the arrow keys.
In the truth table, you’ll find quick shortcuts for common logic symbols. Rows and columns are automatically added when moving with the arrow keys. You can highlight values with color.

Watch video

Visualizing Numerical Integration

A graphical visualization of numerical integration helps illustrate the concept both visually and numerically. You can type or paste a function directly from the clipboard. Increase the number of intervals by adjusting the value of n. Use the arrow keys to switch between calculation methods: left sum, midpoint sum, right sum, or trapezoidal method.

Watch video

Normal Distribution Probability Areas

You can visualize probability areas under the normal distribution curve by shading the desired region. Press TAB to reflect the selected area relative to the mean. From the menu, you can choose which value (lower bound, upper bound, or probability) is unknown. Press Enter to duplicate the diagram, allowing you to illustrate key properties of the normal distribution in teaching.

Watch video

Visualizing Solids of Revolution

Write or paste one or two function expressions into the input fields. If two functions are entered, the region between them is shaded to represent the volume. This tool quickly generates visualizations while studying volume calculation of solids of revolution using integrals.

Watch video

Visualizing an Algorithm with a Flowchart

A flowchart is a visual way to represent the steps of an algorithm. With this tool, students can create and edit flowcharts, for example in connection with Python programming education, making it easier to understand the logic behind programs.

Unit Circle

Create diagrams using the unit circle to illustrate fundamental concepts of trigonometric functions. Use the up/down arrow keys to increase or decrease full rotations. Press TAB to reflect the point alternately across the x- and y-axes.

Watch video

Drawing Structural Formulas

Choose a tool from the bottom of the screen. Click to start drawing. You can create bonds one by one by clicking points at angles, or drag the mouse to quickly build longer carbon chains. After drawing, name the atoms by typing with the mouse pointer on the atom. Click on a bond to change its type. To delete, hover and press Esc. Complete the diagram with texts and arrows. Add partial charges with the +/- shortcut.

Lewis and Kekulé Structures

Draw Lewis and Kekulé structures the same way as other structural formulas. Additionally, click in the direction of the lone electron pair to add it. Then select the number of electrons by clicking the target the required number of times. This allows a more precise visualization of molecular structure and bonding.

Watch video

Sketching Chemical Diagrams

You can sketch diagrams freely using the freehand drawing tool or use SmartDraw shapes. Add annotations and labels using text fields, which can be inserted by pressing the spacebar.

Orbital Diagram

Visualize the distribution of electrons in atomic orbitals. Add orbitals and adjust the number of electrons using the arrow keys. Helps illustrate principles like the Pauli exclusion principle, Hund’s rule, and electron pairing.

Laboratory Equipment

Illustrate laboratory work instructions, reports, or test questions with ready-made images of lab equipment. You can depict various procedures such as titration, measurements, or handling solutions by selecting and arranging the tools as needed. Suitable for teaching, documentation, and creating exam questions and answers.

Watch video

Electrochemical Diagrams

Illustrate electrochemical processes by combining chemical containers, electrodes, and solutions with circuit components such as wires, bulbs, or batteries. You can build galvanic cells, electrolysis setups, or other electrochemical systems by assembling different elements.

Equilibrium Reaction Table

On the first row, you can write the chemical equation. Numbers following chemical symbols are automatically formatted as subscripts, just like in the chemistry grid. In the lower cells, you can paste amounts or concentrations from the clipboard and copy them back into your calculations.

Watch video