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What parametric equations do

What parametric equations do

Graph of the parametric curve x equals t plus 4 and y equals t squared plus 2, with vertex at (4,2), sample points for t equals -1, 0, and 2, and arrows showing direction as t increases

A parametric equation gives xxx and yyy separately in terms of a third variable, called a parameter, usually ttt or heta hetaheta. Each value of the parameter gives one point, so the curve is traced in an order as the parameter changes.

Parametric Equations Lesson

  1. A Level
  2. /Maths
  3. /Parametric Equations

Step-by-step lessons covering Edexcel A Level Maths Parametric Equations for A Level Maths. Each lesson breaks down 8.1 Parametric Equations, 8.2 Using Trigonometric Identities, 8.3 Curve Sketching, 8.4 Points of Intersection, and 8.5 Modelling with Parametric Equations, then works through exam-style questions in Paper 1, Paper 2 and Paper 3 format. Build fluency with the core pure algebra and calculus toolkit early, since almost every mechanics and statistics topic on the course depends on it.

Lessons