TI-BASIC:Optimize Finance

The finance variables (N,I%,PV,PMT,FV,P/Y,C/Y), window variables (ZXscl, ZYscl, Xscl, Yscl, u(nMin), v(nMin), u(n-1), v(n-1), Zu(nMin), v(nMin), Xmin, Xmax, Ymin, Ymax, Tmin, Tmax, θmin, θmax, ZXmin, ZXmax, ZYmin, ZYmax, Zθmin, Zθmax, ZTmin, ZTmax, TblStart, PlotStart, ZPlotStart, nMax, ZnMax, nMin, ZnMin, ΔTbl, Tstep, θstep, ZTstep, Zθstep, ΔX, ΔY, XFact, YFact, TblInput, w(nMin), Zw(nMin), PlotStep, ZPlotStep, Xres, ZXres), and the sequence variable n are much faster than real variables and Ans (but slower than immediate constants) to access. They are harder to type and can make code look confusing, so it is better to write your program using normal variables, and then switch to the faster ones when you're done. Do NOT use C/Y if you are using P/Y, because if you set the value of P/Y, the calculator changes C/Y to the same number. Also do not use any of the X- or Y- window variables, because that will alter the graph screen.

Use n, window variables, or finance variables when speed is important, because they take about 8000 fewer CPU cycles to access or store to, or about 0.5 ms on a TI-84 series calculator and 1.3 ms on a TI-83 or 83+. After thousands of times accessing the variable, the time can add up.

Code used in testing:

[number]→[var]
For(X,1,ᴇ4
[var]
End

Results (seconds):

Code	83+	84+	84+ CSE
0→A	67	25
0→N	55	20
1→A	67	30
1→N	55	25

Results of other test (seconds)

Code	TI-84+ SE
1→X	0.0049
N→X	0.005
n→X	0.005
Xmin→X	0.0051
Ans→X	0.0054
N→X	0.0055
[A](1,1→X	0.0083
L₁(1→X	0.0142