Texas Instruments (TI) develops semiconductor and computer technology, and is one of the largest manufacturers of those products in the world. The company was founded in 1951 by Cecil H. Green, J. Erik Jonsson, Eugene McDermott, and Patrick E. Haggerty after the reorganization of the Geophysical Service company, and is now headquartered in Dallas, Texas in the United States.
They are a long-time leader in innovation in technology, including being the first company to produce the silicon transistor and integrated circuit that power almost all modern electronics, as well as releasing the first four-function handheld calculator in 1967, jointly releasing the first portable calculator dubbed the Pocketronic with Canon in 1970, and releasing the first commercially portable calculator the TI-2500 Datamath in 1972.
The TI graphing calculator has changed dramatically since Texas Instruments introduced the TI-81 in 1990. The calculator not only boasts several new features and functionality, but has radically changed in its appearance and greatly improved its existing features and functionality. TI has also targeted their graphing calculators for specific segments of the school population, including middle school, high school and college, and advanced math and science.
This also led to the release of other classroom technologies by Texas Instruments, most notably the Calculator-Based Laboratory (CBL) and Calculator-Based Ranger (CBR), which work alongside of the graphing calculator. These devices allow students to run experiments while taking measurements of everyday events, such as temperature, movement, and pressure, and to perform related mathematical analysis on their calculator. They bring to life the process of learning, and help students to see the real-world value of math and science.