Parabola Manipulative

thingiverse

Use this manipulative to build an intuitive understanding of how the "b" coefficient of a quadratic function affects the graphed parabola. Here's a quick overview video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmrzcR4H6xw Given a quadratic equation of the form: y = ax^2 + bx + c The "a" coefficient stretches the parabola vertically. The "c" coefficient moves the parabola up and down. These are easy to understand. But the "b" coefficient is a little more tricky. Use this manipulative to get a feel for how it works. For teachers I've included the following: 1) Non-verbal instructions for assembling (pdf file). I like giving students opportunities to practice following visual instructions. 2) Exploration Guide (pdf file). Good questions for project-based learners to explore parabolas using this manipulative. 3) A game-based virtual manipulative for students to interact with online: http://sso.stmath.com/demo/parabola/ParabolaManipulative.html Here are the Common Core standards connected to this manipulative: F_IF.7, G_GPE_3.1 (California addition), G_GPE.1 and G_GPE.2. The source files in SketchUp are also provided in a zip archive. Instructions Print out all the parts and then follow the visual instructions in the Visual_Instructions.pdf file. Here are the colored filaments I used for the different parts: WHITE: Parabola Backbone.stl, Parabola Frame.stl, Parabola Slope Knob.stl BLACK: Parabola Slope Bar.stl, Parabola Slope Pin.stl BLUE: Parabola Rods.stl