This activity allows the user to see functions typed in as algebraic expressions graphed on the coordinate plane.

How Do I Use This Activity?

This java applet requires a java-capable browser. If you don't see the applet, Java may not be functional in your browser or on your machine.

Controls and Output

• Type the formula of the function you want to graph in the space at the bottom of the applet, next to y(x)=.
• Basic functions and their compositions can be typed as follows:

  Function	Symbol	Examples (including combinations of functions)
  addition	+	x + 3 x plus three
  subtraction	-	5 - x five minus x
  multiplication	*	(x - 2)*x x times x minus two
  division	/	3/x three divided by x
  power	^	x^3 - 1 x to the power of three minus one
  power	**	x**3 - 1 x to the power of three minus one
  π (pi)	pi	sin(pi*x) sin of π (pi) times x
  square root	sqrt(...)	sqrt(x-1) square root of x minus one
  nth root (see * below)	x^(1/n)	x^(1/3) cube root of x
  absolute value	abs(...)	abs(3 - x) absolute value of three minus x
  e to the power of x	exp(...)	exp(x) e to the power of x
  sine	sin(...)	sin(x**2) sine of x squared
  cosine	cos(...)	cos(5 - x) cosine of five minus x
  tangent	tan(...)	tan(x) tangent x
  arcsine	asin(...)	2*asin(x)   two times arcsine x
  arccosine	acos(...)	acos(x) arccosine x
  arctangent	atan(...)	atan(x) arctangent of x
  hyperbolic sine	sinh(...)	sinh(1 - x) hyperbolic sine of one minus x
  hyperbolic cosine	cosh(...)	cosh(10/x) hyperbolic cosine of ten divided by x
  hyperbolic tangent	tanh(...)	tanh(x) hyperbolic tangent of x
  natural logarithm	ln(...)	ln(x) natural logarithm of x
  base 10 logarithm	log(...)	log(x + 5) base ten logarithm of x plus five

  ^* When x is less than zero, the exponent must be written as a whole number or in fraction form, not a decimal. For instance, if you want to graph the fifth root of negative numbers, you must write x^(1/5), not x^(0.2).
• Click Graph to graph the function.
• To plot more than one function on the same graph, separate the functions with commas. You may plot up to ten functions.
• Set the x and y ranges of your graph in the Window area under Graph Setup. You can also set the space between grid lines by changing X scale and Y scale.
• There are three radio buttons that allow you to display no gridlines, display them as light gray or black. Select the radio button next to the type of gridline you would like to view. Check the box next to Hide Grid to hide grid lines. Grid lines are drawn on the x-axis at intervals of x-scale and on the y-axis at intervals of y-scale.
• To find a position on the graph you can click with the mouse. The (x,y) pair where you clicked will appear in the Mouse Pos box.
• You are able to change the title of the graph by changing the text in the Title box. Click Graph and the graph title should appear above the graph itself.

• Zoom/Pan buttons. In the upper right corner of the graph, there are three buttons with pictures of magnifying glasses. From top to bottom these buttons represent zoom in, zoom out, and pan, respectively.
  • To zoom in, click the top button to depress, then click and drag over the area of the graph for which you wish to zoom to. The images below show the preimage as the user drags over the area in which to zoom and the resulting zoomed image. Note that after clicking and dragging over the selected area, the zoom in button is automatically released.

  • To zoom out, simply click the middle button. The graph will automatically zoom out by doubling the min and max values of the axes.
  • To use the pan feature, click the bottom magnifying glass button to depress it. Click and drag over the graph and the graph will pan around according to the movement of the mouse. Upon releasing the mouse, the pan button is released.

  • Auto Scale: Checking the Auto Scale check box gives the smallest window possible so that all of the data points still fit on the coordinate plane. Note that there must be data for this feature to work.
    
  
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