Curve sketching is an important skill for all calculus students to learn. In an era where technology is increasingly relied upon to perform mathematical computations and representations, maintaining fundamental skills such as curve sketching is more important than ever.

The new “Curve Sketching” collection is now available on Maple Learn. This collection provides background information on the process of curve sketching and opportunities to put this knowledge into practice. By starting with the “Curve Sketching Guide” and “Relationships Between Derivatives” documents, students are exposed to observational and computational strategies for drawing a function and its 1st and 2nd derivatives.

After looking through these documents, students can begin to practice sketching by observing and interpreting graphical properties with the “Sketch Derivative From Function Graph”, “Sketch Second Derivative From Function Graph”, and “Sketch Function From Derivative Graphs” activities:

Once a student has mastered extracting sketching information by graphical observation, they are ready for the next step: extracting information from a function’s definition. At this point, the student is ready to try sketching from a blank canvas with the “Sketch Curve From Function Definition” activity:

This collection also has activities for students below the calculus level. For example, the “Curve Sketching Quadratics Activity”, can be completed using only factoring strategies:

Whether you are a quadratics rookie or a calculus pro, this collection has an interactive activity to challenge your knowledge. Have fun sketching!