A Path Is a Journey, Not Just a Shape

You'll learnto see a parametric path as a journey with a start, a direction, and an extent.

A dot goes for a walk. One number drives both coordinates at once, so the trip has a first point, a direction of travel, and an end that the interval sets. Eliminating the parameter names the curve the trip rides on and quietly drops the other three. Twelve short steps; press Next for each one.

12 STEPS · 6 QUICK CHECKS · START · DIRECTION · EXTENT · v3

Unit 4 is not assessed on the AP exam; schools include it where local requirements ask.

one dot, one trip · the arrowheads are half the information

Before you start

What you're looking at

A single dot walking across the plane, driven by one number t that sits on neither axis.

The question

As t advances, where is the point and which way is it heading?

Step 1 / 12