Lissajous FiguresUse the sliders to adjust the constants a, b, c, and d in the family of parametric functions. Once you've found the values you want, clear the screen (either zoom out and in, or right click on the drawing pad, select "properties" and click ok. If you open the applet in Geogebra, you can also clear the screen with "control+F") Then slide t from 0 to 20. These curves are called "Lissajous Figures." Notice how the bounding box is controlled by the constants "a" and "c." The interplay of "b" and "d" is more interesting. What conclusions can you draw about the shapes formed for different combinations of "b" and "d"? Dave Matthews, April 2, 2007, Created with GeoGebra |