Product Overview: Desmos
Desmos is a powerful, free, and public-benefit online tool designed to facilitate the creation, modification, and sharing of visual representations of mathematical formulas, commonly known as graphs. This advanced graphing calculator is available as both a web application and a mobile application, written in TypeScript and JavaScript.
Key Features
Graphing and Visualization
Desmos enables users to generate and manipulate complex graphs with ease. It supports the graphing of equations, inequalities, lists, plots, and various types of functions, including piecewise, recursive, polar, and 3D functions. Users can create multiple layers on the same graph, using parameters and overlapping variables to illustrate changes and variations between curves.
Interactivity and Dynamic Exploration
One of the standout features of Desmos is its interactivity. Users can employ sliders to vary parameter values and observe immediate updates on the graph. This feature, combined with the use of lists and tables, allows for dynamic exploration and manipulation of visualizations. For example, users can create input and output tables, evaluate functions at specific values, and attach moveable points to curves.
Accessibility and User-Friendly Interface
Desmos prioritizes accessibility, making its visualizations usable for students with various disabilities. The interface is intuitive and efficient, allowing both students and instructors to quickly generate and share visualizations. The tool is designed to be user-friendly, enabling users to produce complex representations in a short amount of time.
Advanced Mathematical Operations
Desmos supports a wide range of mathematical operations, including calculus (derivatives and integrals), trigonometric and transcendental functions, statistical operations (regressions, normal distribution, chi-squared), and more. It also allows for the plotting of points, lines, circles, and polygons using its 2D interactive geometry tool and a more sophisticated geometry calculator in beta.
Customization and Sharing
Users have various formatting options to customize the look and feel of their graphs, including color, labels, line thickness, and background grids. Once a visualization is created, it can be easily saved, shared via a permalink, or embedded directly into online pages, documents, or learning management systems like Carmen.
Additional Tools and Features
Desmos offers a range of additional tools, such as a Scientific Calculator, Four Function Calculator, Matrix Calculator, and a Test Mode. It also supports the creation of graphic arts using equations and inequalities, including 3D parameterization and custom coloring using RGB and HSV. Recently, Desmos introduced the ability to add sound to graphs, allowing users to produce tones of specific frequencies and gains.
Educational Integration
Desmos is highly integrated into educational settings, providing pre-programmed example graphs to help new users learn the tool and its mathematical applications. It supports multiple languages and is designed to be used in various educational contexts, from basic algebra to advanced calculus and geometry.
In summary, Desmos is a versatile and powerful tool that enhances the teaching and learning of mathematics through interactive, customizable, and accessible visualizations. Its extensive range of features and functionalities make it an invaluable resource for both educators and students.