A Parabolic Calculator: multiplication and division
Using y  x 2 , find the product of 3 and 5 by connecting the parabola points with 3 and
5 as abscissa values (x coordinates) with a line and then finding the y-intercept of this
line. It’ll be 15
Try this with 2 (3)
use 2 and 3 as the abscissa values
Try this with 2 other points of your own choosing.
What are the limits of this method…what values will NOT work? What values DO
work?
How would you handle division?
Why does this work?
Homework
Name:__________________________
Show and describe how you’d use f ( x ) 
division.
1 2
x
2
as a calculator for multiplication and