By Lisa Maloney | Updated Aug 30, 2022

The TI‑84 remains a staple in classrooms worldwide. While its menus can feel labyrinthine for advanced functions, locating the cube root operation requires only two keystrokes.

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What Is a Cube and a Cube Root?

A cube of a number is the product of multiplying that number by itself three times. For example, 4³ = 4 × 4 × 4 = 64. The cube root reverses this process: it finds the number that, when cubed, equals the given value. Thus, ∛125 = 5 because 5³ = 125.

Finding Cube Roots on the TI‑84 Series

1. Open the cube root template. Press MATH, then 4.
2. Enter the number. Type the value whose cube root you want, then hit ENTER. For example, entering 343 yields 7, because 7³ = 343.

Calculating Other Roots

1. Access the general root template. Press MATH, then 5.
2. Specify the index and value. Type the desired root index (e.g., 3 for a cube root, 4 for a fourth root), press the right arrow, then enter the number under the radical. Hit ENTER to get the result.

For instance, setting the index to 4 and the value to 81 returns 3, since 3⁴ = 81.

These steps work across all TI‑84 models—including the TI‑84 Plus and TI‑84 Plus Silver Edition.