70 Activities
4. Press s to graph the equations. Watch closely as they are
plotted. Notice that the ball and the ferris wheel passenger appear
to be closest where the paths cross in the top-right quadrant of the
ferris wheel.
5. Press p. Change the viewing window to concentrate on this
portion of the graph.
6. Press r. After the graph is plotted, press ~ to move near the
point on the ferris wheel where the paths cross. Notice the values of
X, Y, and T.
7. Press † to move to the path of the ball. Notice the values of
X and Y
(T is unchanged). Notice where the cursor is located. This is the
position of the ball when the ferris wheel passenger passes the
intersection. Did the ball or the passenger reach the intersection
first?
You can use r to, in effect, take snapshots in time and explore
the relative behavior of two objects in motion.
Tmin=1
Tmax=3
Tstep=.03
Xmin=0
Xmax=23.5
Xscl=10
Ymin=10
Ymax=25.5
Yscl=10