allison-stack/math-visualizer

Integral graphing calculator

Introducing... IntegraGraphVisual!

The concept of integration can be confusing for most students (especially for those who are learning it for the first time) after all, it's a relatively more advanced concept that builds upon one's understanding of derivatives. To simplify integration, we decided to create a tool that would visualize the integration process -- IntegraGraphVisual.

IntegraGraphVisual is an integral graphing calculator designed to help undergraduate university students in introductory calculus courses visualize the integration process. This tool uses the concept of Riemann sum approximation which approximates an integral by a finite sum and provides a means of visualizing how integration actually works (since to integrate is to find the area under a function).

Prototype 1:

What we had in mind was a simple-to-use user interface similar to Symbolab. Special symbols would be available for our users to input a function that they wish to see integrated and visualized (using the Riemann sum approximation method).

Prototype 2:

For this prototype, we wanted to design a more aesthetically pleasing user interface and add an additional function that would allow users to see what mathematical steps were involved alongside the Riemann sum approximation visualization.

Prototype 3:

We stuck to recreating prototype two mockups in Elm, adding in color and implementing the Definitions page as well as the About page.

Prototype 4:

This was our final prototype where we gathered all of the past feedback from our interviewees and tried to implement their recommendations, fixing some features along the way to ensure a smooth experience for all potential users.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, this project was very exciting to work on. We all learned a lot more about integration as a group and were able to make use of our strengths/skillsets to develop this web-based application. It was definitely exciting to see our creation help as well as inspire others.

Next steps:

There are some functionalities we still aim to keep working on (such as allowing the user to input their own custom functions) so keep a look out for future updates!