Angry Birds Activity
Angry birds are out to get revenge on
the greedy pigs who stole their eggs! They
sling-shot themselves in a (you guessed it!)
Parabolic path trying to hit the pigs.
Your Task: Use x-intercepts (or zeros) to
figure out the equation of the path the birds
must follow in order to hit the pig.
Visit each graph on desmos. You are given 2 “zeros” to write your equation. Test your equation
by typing it into box 3. Modify your equation to make sure it works
• Level 1: https://www.desmos.com/calculator/kzn36i8dqj
• Level 2: https://www.desmos.com/calculator/di5z1s2ubn
• Level 3: https://www.desmos.com/calculator/kqewdsabya
• Level 4: https://www.desmos.com/calculator/uod43zj92w
Angry Birds 1:
Level 1: _________________________
Level 2: _________________________
Level 3: _________________________
Level 4: _________________________
Angry Birds 2:
What to do: go to http://www.teachmathematics.net/page/11419/angry-birds-2 and work through each level.
Come up with an equation and keep testing it until you get it right. Then write the correct equation down on this
sheet of paper. Go on to angry birds 2 if you master angry Birds 1.
This level gets a little tricky, you know the zeros, but must adjust your equation to follow a more specific path to hit
the bird. Follow these steps:
Step 1: Figure out your equation using your zeros, just like you did in angry birds 1
Step 2: Now your equation needs an “a” to make it either skinnier or fatter, rewrite your function with “a”
multiplied out front, here’s an example: f(x)= a(-x2+8x)
Step 3: Now use the point your bird is at to solve for a. For example, if my bird was at (4,2) I would plug that point
into my equation like this: 2 = a(-42+8(4))
2 = a(-16+32)
2 = a(16)
2/16 = a
1/8 = a
Step 4: Now you can write your final equation with your proper “a” value like this:
F(x)=⅛(-x2+8x)
Level 1: _________________________
Level 2: _________________________
Level 3: _________________________
Level 4: _________________________
Please take a second to write about how this activity helped you understand equations of parabolas: