Education Technology

Parabolic Hoops

Activity Overview

In this coding activity for the TI-84 Plus CE Python, students will create a virtual basketball court.  Using the location of the hoop and the vertex, the shooter will calculate the amplitude, a, needed to “Swish” nothing but net!

Objectives

  • Use the randint() function to generate random integers.
  • Use the draw library to draw circles and line segments
  • Use loops to repeat code
  • Use if statements to make selections
  • Use the vertex form of a quadratics to solve problems
  • Use the absolute value function to validate solutions.

About the Lesson

In this lesson, students will code a virtual basketball court.  With each new shot, your program will randomly place you, the shooter, a random distance from a 10 ft hoop.  The game will generate a reasonable (x,y) location for the maximum point of your parabolic shot.  Using the location of the hoop and the vertex, you the shooter will calculate the amplitude, a, needed to “Swish” nothing but net!

Note: This lesson requires the use of TI-84 Plus CE Python technology with OS 5.6 and above.