Elementary Graphics and Animation with Your Calculator
Kenneth C. Wolff · Mathematics Teacher Learning and Teaching PK-12 · 2002
Exposure to movies, computer games, television shows, and advertising makes our students well aware of the use of computer graphics. They probably are not as cognizant about the ways that the entertainment industry uses mathematics to create computer graphics. Thus, the mathematics that supports computer graphics and animation is a natural connection between the mathematics classroom and the world of entertainment. This article presents basic concepts and tools that enable students to create elementary computer graphics on a graphing calculator. The material can be used with students who have attained different levels of mathematical maturity. The teacher can explain material at an intuitive level or can base explanations on abstract mathematical models. Although this article uses terminology that is specific to Texas Instruments (TI) graphing calculators, teachers can adapt the material for use with such other graphing calculators as those available from Casio, Hewlett-Packard, or Sharp.