Search Results for “like-terms”

Epic Circle Trace
A line passes intersects a circle at two points. Each point is located proportionally around the circle in terms of a given function of t. The path of the line’s movement is traced as t varies. Try changing/animating t. Can you figure out how each point is constrained, in terms of t? Look at the gx source file for the answer. Hint: look at the period of the movement, and how it changes as t changes.
Four Bar Linkage
You can drag the vertices of the shadow linkage to alter its geometry. Can you create a linkage which draws a figure 8? How about the letter D? How close to a straight line can you get? If you like this, you might like my 4 bar linkage clock app.
Basic Derivatives
Drag the point to see how the slope of the line relates to the x value of the point at which it’s tangent to the function. Can you figure out what the function is, based on the values of the x and y coordinates? The slope of the line can also be represented in terms of x; can you figure out what this representation is? This representation is the derivative of the entire function, not just at a single point. This is called the derivative of the function, and can be notated by, for example, the derivative of F(x) = F’(x), although there are many other notations as well.
Rolling Parabola
If you roll a parabola along the ground, what curve does its focus trace out? It might look like a parabola, but is it?