ERIC Number: EJ961092
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2011-Sep
Pages: 3
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0746-8342
EISSN: N/A
A Generalization of the Parabolic Chord Property
Mason, John
College Mathematics Journal, v42 n4 p326-328 Sep 2011
The well known property of quadratic functions, that the tangents at either end of a chord of a parabola meet in a point aligned vertically with the midpoint of the chord is extended to polynomials of degree d. Given two distinct points on a polynomial of degree d, the Taylor polynomials of degree d - 1 at those points meet in d - 1 points whose mean is vertically aligned with the midpoint of the chord joining the two points. This characterizes polynomials of degree d.
Descriptors: Mathematics Instruction, Mathematical Concepts, College Mathematics, Equations (Mathematics)
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A