A Web-Based Math Graph Art Tool for Understanding Quadratic Functions

To help students understand quadratic functions, we have developed a web-based math graph art tool that can be used in the following scenario. The user draws a curve on the canvas by hand as a part of his or her math art. The tool automatically draws a graph of a smooth piecewise quadratic function that approximates the hand-drawn curve. The user can control the number of knots, where pieces of quadratic functions are connected, so that the approximate curve looks better. Then, as the user focuses on a section of the curve, the tool highlights the formula of corresponding quadratic function so that the user can relate each component of his or her math art with its formula as a quadratic function.