Cool math fractal

math image

math image

pre-algebra help lessonsalgebra help lessonsprecalculus / calculus help lessonsmath anxiety survival guidegeometry math artmath and jigsaw puzzlesCoolmath booksother math stuff
math help lessonsmath practice problemsmath gamesmath dictionarygeometry trigonometry reference area
teacher's areaparent's areaCoolmath 4 kidsSpike's Game ZoneFinance FREAKTotally Stressed OutScience Monster
Coolmath Algebra
Graphing Polynomials Lesson 2 - Basic Shape - Even Degree (Intro to Zeros) (page 3 of 5)
---- This algebra lesson explains the basic shapes of the graphs of even degree polynomials and gives an introduction to zeros.

math image
Now available: Coolmath Algebra books! Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 covering the Algebra you need from Algebra 1 through Precalculus Algebra (Beginning Algebra through College Algebra)

other Coolmath Books: Coolmath Precalculus Review (the math you really need to survive Calculus 1) and Math Survival Guide (How to conquer math and deal with math anxiety)
line
Graphing Calculator Scientific Calculator << a new window will open for these
line

Check out this guy:

f ( x ) = x^4 - 2x^3 - 5x^2 + 6x

Stick him into the graphing calculator and see what happens!

x^4-2x^3-5x^2+6x

Your graph should look like this:

Graph of f ( x ) = x^4 - 2x^3 - 5x^2 + 6x

 Two things to notice here:
 
1 Both tails shoot up
2 This guy crosses the x-axis
4 times... 
What's his degree?  4!

Repeat after me... Duuuuuude!

(We aren't going to worry at all about how high the mountains are and how low the valleys are.  We'd really need Calculus to nail this info.)

f ( x ) = x^4 - 2x^3 - 5x^2+ 6x ... I'm going to start calling everything but the x^4 "plus some x stuff"

f ( x ) = x^4 - 2x^3 - 5x^2 + 6x ... the x^4 rules the basic shape, the other stuff gives it the cool wobbles

Continued on the next page

 The printing and distribution and/or downloading of these lessons is strictly prohibited.
line
Graphing Calculator Scientific Calculator << a new window will open for these
line

.....:::::::::::::::  HELP SUPPORT COOLMATH  :::::::::::::::.....
:::::::  link to us   :::::::   advertise with us  :::::::  why we have ads  :::::::

Thanks for visiting Coolmath.com
© 1997-2010 Coolmath.com, Inc.