Search Results for “function-draggable-curve”
Pascal's Limacon
Explore this interesting curve by changing lengths, then see the animation which creates the limacon.
Cycloid
If we look beyond the circumference, what path does a point attached to a rolling wheel take?
Cubic Spline
Many computer drawing programs use cubic splines to represent arcs. Our diagram shows how a spline can be constructed from 4 control points. We highlight that it is a moving average of two parabolas. These parabolas are exactly the string art parabolas.
Lissajous Figure
These were (easy and) fun to create on oscilloscopes in the dark days before computers.
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.
parabola envelope
We use a trick to let the trace "open up" as you drag a point. The trick is this: an initial point is given parametric location s*t, create a tangent at this point and its envelope as s varies. Now hide the original point and create another point with parameter t, and make it draggable. Dragging the new point changes the value of t and we see a trace from 0 to t.
Geometric Top View Model of the Twisted Savonius Wind Turbine (Interactive)
This app models the top view of the Twisted Savonius Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT). The various inputs and draggable points allow you to see how the model can trace the blades' surfaces. You can also control the twist angle, radius, and rotation - which makes the whole thing spin! Learn more about the Twisted Savonius Modeling Project here.
