Lesson 12

Getting Started (Geometry and Animation, continued)

Before getting started with animation, let’s review Geometry quickly. Recall from Lesson 3 that it is important to know which mode you are in. If not, you may draw a circle or line segment when you really just want to select something. When this happens, remember to use Edit/Undo/Redo quickly.

There is a logical pattern to Geometry’s button palette’s and menu items. Please take a few minute’s to understand this logic; it is simple and will help you in the near future.

The first button palette is for changing to the selection mode (very important) and different types of zooming (less important). I am sorry, but there is no menu item for the select/deselect icon (). This is the only one without a menu item.
Note: When you are in the select/deselect mode () clicking once selects an object, clicking again deselects it.

The next palette is for drawing basic shapes. When you select a basic shape, you WILL stay in the mode until you select something else. When you select a tool from the Draw menu, the toolbar updates to show the icon.

The next palette is for drawing special shapes and the last is for creating constructions. When you select one of these, you WILL automatically change to the selection mode ().

Part I

In this part, we will learn how to create an animation. To create an animation, we need to select a point and a curve, and then add the animation. Once the animation is added, we can run the animation and watch the point travel about the curve.

Important: If you try to add an animation without selecting what is needed, the status bar will display “Need point and curve”.

1. Getting Ready for Animation

2. Adding and Running an Animation

What is going on?

  1. Open the Edit menu and select Animate/Edit Animations.
  2. Notice a window opens that contains information about our animation.
  3. When we create an animation, the segment or curve we use is given a starting point of t0 and ending point t1.
  4. When we run this animation, it will step 20 times between the starting and ending point.

3. Editing our Animation

4. Placing a Constraint on our Circle

Before beginning, please repeat parts 1 and 2 above (1. Getting Ready for Animation & 2. Adding and Running an Animation).

Placing a constraint on an object can be very useful. Whenever you need an object to maintain its shape:

  1. Advance the toolbar.
  2. Select the object and the icon showing the measurement you want to constrain.
  3. Click on the button.
  4. To remove a constraint, click the button again.

Very Helpful Hint: If you are trying to change a shape and cannot, check to see if it is under a constraint. You can also clear all constraints by selecting Edit/Clear Constraints.

5. Adding a Trace Point to an Animation

Imagine point D is an ant clinging to a wheel. What path will it follow as the wheel turns?

Part I


Practice Exercises

Before beginning the practice exercises, open a word document, type in the following information and then save it as Lesson12 in your CASIO folder within My Documents:

  1. Please open the Geometry application and clear the window.
  2. Draw two circles so that they overlap.
  3. Change to selection mode.
  4. Select one of the circles and the point on the edge of the other circle.
  5. Get a screen capture and paste it into your Lesson 12 document (under a title of PART I).
  6. Add an animation for the circle and point you have selected.
  7. Run your animation.
  8. Get a screen capture. Add two blank spaces following the first screen capture and then paste this one.
  9. Select the circle with the point on the edge used in animation and constrain its radius.
  10. Select only the center of the circle you just constrained and add it as a trace point.
  11. Run your animation again.
  12. Get a screen capture with your trace showing. Add two blank spaces following the second screen capture and then paste this one.