EquationExplorer
Frequently Asked Questions
What can I graph with it?
The default "Equation" function of EquationExplorer can graph most algebraic equations, both implicit and explicit.
Here are a few interesting implicit equations to get you started:
- Circle
- Ellipse
- Superellipse
- Cardioid
- Limacon
- Elliptic Curve
- Mordell Curve
- Heart Curve
- Quadrifolium
- Knot Curve
It also supports non-implicit functions, such as:
The Vector Field grapher supports most 2-dimensional vector fields, such as:
The i and j variables are the x and y unit vectors, so the equation 'i+2j' is a vector one unit in the x direction and two units in the y direction.
The Parametric grapher graphs parametric equations, with the input a time dependent position vector. Variables i and j are the x and y unit vectors.
Here are a few examples:
What special functions can be used in equations?
- sin — Sine (radians)
- cos — Cosine (radians)
- tan — Tangent (radians)
- atan — Inverse Tangent (result in radians)
- acos — Inverse Cosine (result in radians)
- asin — Inverse Sine (result in radians)
- round — Round to nearest integer
- sqrt — Square Root
- abs — Absolute Value
- ln — Natural Logarithm
How can I share a graph?
The URL is unique to each graph and will automatically update as the graph is edited.
How can I save a graph as an image?
Right click on the graph and choose "Save Image As..." in most browsers.
What happens when I use the variable m in an equation?
Buttons will appear below the input to allow you to adjust the value of m. That value will be substituted back into the equation at each use of the variable. This allows you to easily experiment on how a change to a constant will affect the graph.
Many of the example equations listed above use this feature.
Can I re-use the parser or graphing engine elsewhere?
The source is released under the GPL and can be found on github. Relevant files are:
- tdop_math.js - the parser
- tokens.js - the TDOP tokenizer
- graph.js - the graphing engine
- ui.js - the user interface
You can experiment with the parser at its test page
Have another question?
Post on the Feedback page