Des-blog

NASA’s wildly successful landing of Curiosity last week garnered the attention of space enthusiasts around the world. For Team Desmos, it was especially amazing to see how this Mars mission rejuvenated an interest in learning math and science. Whether it was the cool NASA Mohawk guy or the excitement of seeing the first images of Martian terrain sent back to Earth by Curiosity, one thing is for sure: this little red rover is a shining example for students of how science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) can turn science fiction into science fact.

Last week we joined the Planetary Society and their awesome CEO, Bill Nye the Science Guy, to test our users’ math skills with a space-themed graphing contest. Not only were the graphs we received chock full of technical firepower – our users really let their imaginations run wild. They showed us how the Desmos graphing calculator is a learning tool with endless opportunities for exploration, discovery, and fun.

We’re excited to announce the winners of the Curiosity-inspired graphing contest below – all of whom will receive an autographed photo from Bill Nye the Science Guy and other goodies from us here at Team Desmos. Thanks to everyone who participated!

1. “Orbit” by Keith R. – A college freshman in Florida studying Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering.

Take a look at Curiosity entering the Martian atmosphere and deploying its supersonic parachute! Turn on Projector Mode for a better picture.

View his equations here: http://goo.gl/vJ8co

2. “The Solar System on Bill Nye’s Birthday (Nov. 27, 2012)” by Asa R. – A high school student in Massachusetts

In his graph, Asa attempted to create the planets to scale (with the exception of the sun, it’s huge!). Nice work!

View Asa’s equations here: http://goo.gl/fzEQB

3. “Journey from the ‘Pale Blue Dot’” by Luke W. – A math instructor at Catawba Valley Community College

Move the slider in Luke’s graph to watch Curiosity travel from Earth to Mars during its 254-day journey!

View Luke’s equations here: http://goo.gl/5zUfp

And winners – if you’re reading this, please send us your mailing addresses so we may get your prizes shipped out! Email us at calculator[at]desmos.com.

Thanks again,

Team Desmos

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Launch the calculator

Ever since we first saw that iconic bow-tie, it’s been our dream to work with our favorite Science Guy. This week, we’re thrilled to announce our realization of that dream. Bill Nye, CEO of the Planetary Society, is teaming up with Desmos to celebrate the landing of Mars Curiosity Rover!

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The “face” of the Mars Science Laboratory Rover, Curiosity | Photo by Emily Lakdawalla, Planetary Society

This Sunday at approximately 10:30pm PDT, Curiosity, the shiny new Mars Science Laboratory Rover, will touch down on the surface of Mars! After hitting the Martian atmosphere at 13,000 mph and traveling 154 million miles from Earth, Curiosity will begin it’s 687 day exploration of Mars - searching for life, studying the Martian climate and geology, and collecting samples that will be used for planning future manned missions to the Red Planet.

To celebrate this historic event (and exercise your graphing skills!), Desmos is running a graphing contest for the Mars Curiosity Rover. To participate, submit a graph of Curiosity or another space-themed design. Winners will be given an autographed photo from Bill Nye the Science Guy, CEO of The Planetary Society – the largest space interest group on Earth.

Contest details:

Need inspiration? Check out the photo of the Curiosity’s “face” above, as well as several outer space graphs designed by Desmos users below.

The Planetary Society will be showing a live feed of Curiosity’s landing on its website as part of Planetfest - a two-day celebration for all ages of the real-time landing of Curiosity on Mars. Tune in to Planetfest online and you’ll get a play-by-play narration during the spacecraft’s descent and landing, plus a peek at the first images returned from the mission. More information and the live broadcast link will be posted here: http://www.planetary.org/

Good luck in the contest, and happy graphing!!

Team Desmos

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Spaceship and Moon - view equations: http://goo.gl/Fb4Kp

Planet with rings - view equations: http://goo.gl/x43Zy

Alien with hat - view equations: http://goo.gl/2kAkV

Toy Story Alien - view equations: http://goo.gl/hvfZV

Our last announcement in this latest round of calculator updates is an overview of how to navigate the improved interface and keypad. Here’s a quick tour from Eli:

As you can see, we expanded the top toolbar and allowed you to quickly access the tools you use most: undo/redo, POIs (points of interest), projector mode, examples, and help just to name a few.

By popular request, you can now copy an expression by clicking the duplication button next to it. To the left, you’ll also see a new button for choosing the color of the curve:

Reordering expressions is a cinch thanks to new drag and drop handles on the left:

With an enhanced keypad design, typing expressions is as intuitive as ever. Hovering over the buttons will now display keyboard shortcuts and arrow keys have been added for those of you using touchscreens. And at the request of many Desmos users, you can now expand, contract, and even hide the keypad altogether:

We hope you enjoy these updates. For a chance to have your graphs featured in our help section, be sure to Tweet them to us @DesmosInc, post them on our Facebook wall, or send a note to calculator@desmos.com. The most creative graphs will be stored in our help section and a #desmazing package will be mailed to the winners.

Please send us your feedback, and happy graphing!