Math 141-142 home page
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The applet below lets you explore the graphs of parabolas with vertex at (0,0). There are two types: the first type is generated by the equation 4ay=x2, and the second type by 4ax=y2.
The equation 4ay=x2 generates a parabola which opens upward if a>0 and opens downward if a<0. The red graph below is the parabola, and the green graph is the directrix of the parabola. Where is the focus? Use the slider to explore the effect of changing the value of a.
MultiGraph applet written by David Eck (http://math.hws.edu/javamath/index.html)
The equation 4ax=y2 generates a parabola which opens to the right if a>0 and opens to the left if a<0. The red graph below is the parabola. Where are the focus and the directrix? Use the slider to explore the effect of changing the value of a.
MultiGraph applet written by David Eck (http://math.hws.edu/javamath/index.html)