The applet on this page is designed for experimenting with the quadratic approximation that is behind Simpson's rule. You enter a function and in interval value. Then click at a point on the graph. The quadratic function that passes through that point, and the next two points to the right, separated by the specified interval, is then drawn in and its coefficients computed.

There are instructions for how to enter other functions into these applets, but probably you should just try to enter things in and experiment -- always use * for multiplication, and ^ for powers, and make reasonable guesses about function names, and you may not need the instructions.

Also, when you click to go to the info panel, click again after you get there. For reason unbeknownst to me, the canvas on which the coefficient info and such is reported erases itself after being drawn in. But a second click brings it back. The second click makes the exact same graphics calls, so this shouldn't happen. In any case, a second click cures it. If you know how to solve this -- the source is available on-line -- please let me know.

The applets take a while to load -- they are built out of a lot of building blocks of code, and do lots of things. But once downloaded, at least if you're going to do the ptoject, there is a lot to do with them.