Precalculus
The activities are organized by topic in the table below. The table is a collection of interactive files that were written by members of our department. In the first column, topics are listed. In the second column, the name and a brief description of the activity is given. In the third column, we have made reference to the sections in our textbooks where we have used the activity. Below the table, we list bibliographical information for the books and computer activities referenced.
The four topics included below are Trigonometry, Polar Coordinates and Graphs, and Vectors. For topics such as polynomial functions, properties of functions, logarithmic and exponential functions, see Advanced Algebra page.
| Topics | Name and Description of Activity | Textbook Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Trigonometry | Triangle Trig Intro Sketchpad Demonstration |
LBKS Sect. 13.1 LH Sect. 6.1 B Sect. 7.2 D Sect. 5.6 |
Unit Circle Area |
LBKS Sect. 13.2 |
|
Trigonometric Graphs |
LBKS Sect. 14.1, 14.2 |
|
| Trigonometric Graphing Intro Interactive Sketchpad file |
LBKS Sect. 14.1, 14.2 |
|
| Ambiguous Case Interactive Sketchpad file |
LBKS Sect. 13.5 LH Sect. 8.1 B Sect. 9.3 D Sect. 7.1 |
|
| Polar coordinates and graphs | Polar Coordinates |
B Sect. 11.1 D Sect 7.6 |
Polar Graphs |
B Sect. 11.1 D Sect 7.6 |
|
| Vectors | Introduction to Vectors and their components |
B Sect. 12.1, 12.2 D Sect. 7.3 |
Vector addition |
B Sect. 12.1, 12.2 D Sect. 7.3 |
|
| Scalar multiplication Interactive Sketchpad file |
B Sect. 12.1, 12.2 D Sect. 7.3 |
|
| Equation of a line Interactive Sketchpad file |
B Sect. 12.3 D Sect. 12.4 |
Bibliography:
LBKS - Algebra 2, by Ron Larson, Laurie Boswell, Timothy D. Kanold and Lee Stiff, McDougal Littell 2001.
LH - Algebra and Trigonometry, by Ron Larson and Robert P. Hostetler, Houghton Mifflin 2001.
B - Advanced Mathematics, by Richard G. Brown, McDougal Littell, 1994.
D - Precalculus with Limits, by Mark Dugopolski, Addison Wesley, 2002.