Explorations with Coding: Parabolic Hoops

Objectives

• Use the randint() function to generate random integers.
• Use the draw library to draw circles and line segments
• Use loops to repeat code
• Use if statements to make selections
• Use the vertex form of a quadratics to solve problems
• Use the absolute value function to validate solutions.

About the Lesson

In this lesson, students will code a virtual basketball court.  With each new shot, your program will randomly place you, the shooter, a random distance from a 10 ft hoop.  The game will generate a reasonable (x,y) location for the maximum point of your parabolic shot.  Using the location of the hoop and the vertex, you the shooter will calculate the amplitude, a, needed to “Swish” nothing but net!