Learning Math with Graphing Calculator
Tim Erickson's activity book will help you explore how you or your students can learn about mathematics using our software.
If you have ordered Graphing Calculator, this book is already in the Graphing Calculator folder on your hard disk and you do not need to download it from here. It will be easier for you to read your local copy.
You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is freely available at www.adobe.com if you don't already have it.
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- What version do you have?
- How do you learn
- The Basics of Graphing Calculator
- Anatomy of the Graphing Calculator Window
- How do I zoom the graph in or out?
- How do I see other parts of the graph?
- How do I save my work?
- What if I need help?
- Using the Math Window
- How do I enter an equation?
- How do I select?
- What do I need to know about entering formulas
- Are there other ways to enter math stuff?
- How do I do fractions?
- How do I make exponents?
- Can I use Graphing Calculator as a calculator?
- What about simple algebra?
- Can I multiply out two parenthetical expressions?
- What about plain old arithmetic?
- How do I get more (or fewer) significant figures?
- How do I isolate a term?
- Can I do trig functions?
- Graphing
- How do I make a graph?
- How do I see different values for my parameters?
- Can I graph more than one function?
- Can I trace functions?
- Do I have to use x and y - and n - or can I use other letters?
- What should I know about constants and parameters?
- Graphing in Two Dimensions
- Polar coordinates
- Inequalities
- Transformations
- Translations, dilations, and y = mx + b
- Dilations: stretching, squishing, and flipping
- Putting transformations together
- Once more, with waves
- Choosing a parametrization
- Translations, the minus sign, and symmetry
- The difference between horizontal and vertical
- Exponentials
- Adding functions part I
- Adding functions part II
- Difference functions
- Fourier series
- Multiplying functions: envelopes
- Reciprocals of functions
- Inverse functions
- Functions of functions: composition
- Surfaces in 3D
- Basic 3D drawing in Graphing Calculator
- How to tell which axis is which
- Cool ways to slow down your computer
- A family of graphs at a glance
- Surfaces as genuine functions of two variables
- Surfaces of revolution
- Polar coordinates and surfaces
- Slicing 3D surfaces
- Conic sections - using cones!
- More general 3D surfaces
- Exploring Parametric Equations
- Remind me about parametric equations
- Making parametric curves in Graphing Calculator
- Lissajous fun
- Parametric equations without trig functions
- Making a spring: 3D parametric curves
- Parametric Surfaces
- Making the torus
- Adding lines for understanding
- Changing the donut into a double helix
- Fancy Stuff
- Coloring
- Conditions
- If statements
- Summations
- Functions
- Symbolic calculus
- The difference between total and partial derivatives
- Ordinary differential equations
- Integrals
- Signum: a useful function to know about
- Vector fields
- But wait! There's more!
- Solving Problems with Graphing Calculator
- Word problems: the big picture
- What symbol manipulation is for
- Dimensional analysis
- Using substitution
- Figuring average speed
- More about symbol manipulation
- Two extended examples
- Amanda's shadow investigation
- Proportion problems
- Maximum-minimum problems
- Simultaneous equations
- Equilibrium, titration, and logarithmic axes
- Orbital mechanics
- Solutions
