USING GEOGEBRA TO INVESTIGATE PROPERTIES OF A PARABOLA

The Geogebra package [1] is a valuable, free resource that allows teachers to illustrate many results in geometry, as well as allowing students to investigate properties of curves for themselves. In many cases students can 'discover' results by experimentation with Geogebra, which they can then prove using mathematics. Glaister introduces a number of interesting problems for students to investigate using Geogebra. He gives the corresponding results and how to prove these, which could be left as exercises for students. This investigation also allows students to see a practical use of solving cubic equations.