Polynomial Graphs

Use the sliders to investigate the graphs for polynomials of degrees 1-5. Start on the right. Then move to the left one letter at a time. In this way you can go from linear all the way up to quintic. Try to determine which coefficient controls the end behavior of the graph (what it does as x gets very large or very small). Next, determine the effect on the graph of changing coefficient "f". Finally, notice the number of turns possible in the graph for polynomials of each degree.