Hanging Mardi Gras Beads - student
Scroll through the pics of Mardi Gras beads, cut and hung from a meter stick.
What function equation does the best job of modeling the shape of the hanging beads for any given pic?
- A quadratic function f(x) and quartic function g(x) have already been entered for you. Edit one or both of these equations, attempting to transform the curve so that it matches the beads as well as possible.
- Is there another curve you believe may model the beads better than a quadratic or quartic function? Either edit one of the existing curves or enter a new function equation in the input bar.
- Does the "best" type of function equation depend on which pic you land on?
- Research the question. Historically, which function has been deemed to best model a hanging ideal cable, ideally acted upon by no forces other than gravity? Who is credited with proving this?
- Did the results of your research match your own findings?