LinearApprox Applet
LinearApprox is used to illustrate the idea of a linear function approximating another function. It graphs the original function, a tangent line linear approximation, and a vertical line segment to illustrate the error. In this applet, "a" is the x coordinate of the point of tangency.
The applet tag that creates the applet is as follows:
<applet code="net.sourceforge.webcompmath.calculus.LinearApprox" codebase="../../assets"
archive="webcompmath.jar,calculus.jar" height="400" width="450">
<param name="Example1" value="1. A Parabola;x^2;-1,3,-1,3;400;400;1.5;1" />
<param name="Example2" value="2. A Sine Curve;sin(x);-6.28,6.28,-2,2;1256;1256;1;0" />
<param name="Example3" value="3. Different Tangent on the Same Sine Curve;sin(x);-3.14,6.28,-1,3;942;942;1;1.5708" />
</applet>
This applet takes the following parameters:
Param Name Type Default Description Example1, ... String N/A Each example is a list of strings separated by semicolons. The strings, in order, are:
1. The name of the example, displayed in the example menu.
2. The expression for f(x), the function.
3. The xmin, xmax, ymin, and ymax to use for the graph, as a list of comma-separated numbers.
4. The number of steps for the x slider. The slider min and max are the same as the graph window's xmin and xmax.
5. The number of steps for the a slider. The slider min and max are the same as the graph window's xmin and xmax.
6. The value for x.
7. The value for a.