Your child or someone else’s child that you know well has just started algebra in middle school. They are completely confused about ‘parabolas’. Write a letter to that person sharing all that you know about parabolas and how to graph them, keeping in mind they are only in middle school. Keep in mind sharing examples, thinking visually, and covering all concepts related to the topic should be considered. I have no idea how to explain this to a middle school student in terms that would make sense to them can anyone else give an in depth explanation and some examples to help the student?
explaining what you know about parabolas and how to graph them
- Thread starter claudette
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I am going to assume that you are not in middle school because it would be crazy to ask a middle school student how to teach what is an advanced topic for such students. I am not going to do the entire exercise for you, but I would start by giving two specific example of parabolas in practice. First, projectiles, such as a thrown ball, follow a path that is (approximately) equal to part of a parabola. Second, a device to focus light or sound (such as the reflector in a flashlight, has a cross-section that is a parabola. These are examples of what are a number of physical phenomena that are described mathematically by a parabola. More generally, the graph of any phenomenon that can be described by a quadratic equation of the form y = ax^2 + bx + c will be a parabola, which is one of the simplest curves known in mathematics.
You have not told us how old you are or what you are studying so it is very difficult to know how to make the utility of the concept of a parabola concrete to you.
my responsibility from a college students stand point it to explain parabolas and how to graph them in understandable terms to a middle school student who doesnt understand them
Well if you are a college student, I'd look at wikipedia about parabolas and then research various concrete problems that involve quadratic functions. That should give you plenty of material to explain what a parabola looks like and what kinds of practical applications involve parabolas.
it is a cardinal rule NEVER to use wikipedia for any reason
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Okay. What do you remember from your own studies? What have you found on Google? Where are you stuck? Please be complete. Thank you!
excuse me? all i do is work so keep your rude comments to yourself! i was just wanting someone elses perspective on the question. you need not comment on anything else i post now or in the future!You can't use Wikipedia, but you can use help sites like this one
It's obvious to me that you don't want to do any work...
HallsofIvy
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If you wanted "someone else's perspective", and I am perfectly willing to accept that, then it would have been better to show what you had already done. By just posting a homework problem without any comment or work of you really make it look like you just want someone else to do your homework for you.
Somehow, it is a rule which I have no intention of obeying. It may be better to disclose in advance all rules, cardinal or ordinal, to which responders to your posts must abide. To avoid transgressing any more of your undisclosed rules, I shall ignore your future posts.
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I suspect the poster is referring to class rules. In my (limited) experience, an increasing number of schools are banning the use of Wikipedia as an official reference for school work in hopes, I suspect, of encouraging students to do more than merely copying from the best-known source.
That said, though, such rules, again in my (limited) experience, do not limit the student's private use of Wikipedia, and I've never heard of limitations on Google. So the original advise remains valid:
Stapel
Thank you very much for the clarification. I was not aware of this trend. Such a rule makes some sense because the quality of wikipedia articles varies greatly. Although I do not advocate rules that prohibit adults from exercising judgment, I can respect a class rule specifying that wikipedia can never be cited or otherwise relied upon as an authority. I would support a rule that prohibits relying on wikipedia as a sole source on anything. Without any rule so obliging me, I personally do not cite wikipedia as an authority on any but what I judge to be the most peripheral of points. But, as a way to get started on research on a new topic, wikipedia is invaluable, and, as a reminder of things previously learned but now only vaguely recollected, it is a tremendous convenience. So a rule that prohibits students from referring to wikipedia (as opposed to citing or relying on it) is ridiculous. Of course it is commendable if a student obeys even ridiculous rules, but this adult poster acts as though others must know what rules apply to her without first disclosing them.