Sasha and Keoni review the relationship that they discovered between the value of p in the equation y = x2/(4p) and the width of the graph of the parabola.
Episode Supports
Focus Questions
For use in a classroom, pause the video and ask these questions:
1. [Pause video at 1:06]. What does it mean for a parabola to be wider than another parabola?
2. [Pause video at 3:33]. How does Keoni know where to place the red directrix?
Supporting Dialogue
Focus students’ attention on conjecturing and providing evidence for their conjectures:
What does it mean for one parabola to be skinnier than another?
Math Extensions
1. On the worksheet, add two more parabolas: one parabola with a p-value of 1/8 and another with a p-value of 1.5.
2. What do you notice about those two additional parabolas?
MathTalk