Google now has some very neat tools for students and maths lovers to make graphs. Since last year you can plot mathematical functions right on a search results page.
Just type in a function – from something very simple such as “x/2” (without the quotation marks) to something a little more complex like our example here – and you’ll see an interactive graph at the top of the search results page.
You can zoom in and out to explore the function in more detail, and plot multiple functions by separating them with commas.
This month Google has introduced something even better again: making graphs in three dimensions…
Type the function into Google (a very simple one would be “x*y”, again without quotation marks) and it generates a dynamic 3D plot. Click anywhere in the interactive graph to rotate it and see different angles, zoom in or out , or edit the range of your equation.
This powerful new feature uses a technology called WebGL, which brings hardware-accelerated 3D graphics to web browsers without the need to install extra software. But bear in mind that you may need the latest version of a browser such as Chrome or Firefox that is able to handle WebGL graphics.
We think this new 3D feature will take off, possibly even exponentially!
