Dr. Andy Loveless

Dr. Loveless Curiosity Lab

Math 120 Visuals

Precalculus visuals, interactives, and videos organized by chapter group.

Start with a question. Build a visual. Let the math help explain what is going on.

This page organizes Math 120 into topic chunks. Each section page will eventually collect Desmos visuals, selected videos, short explanations, and questions students can explore.

Back to Course Visual Galleries

How to use this page

Choose the chapter group you are studying. Each page will eventually include visuals and videos designed to help you connect formulas to graphs, motion, and real situations.

The goal is to build the visual foundation for calculus: functions, rates, coordinates, trigonometry, and modeling.

Math 120 Chapter Groups

These pages are skeletons for now. Each will become a collection of visuals, interactives, videos, and guiding questions.

Chapters 1–3

Rates, Coordinates, Circles/Lines

Coordinates, distance, slope, rates, lines, circles, and the geometric language used throughout the course.

Question: How do we turn a picture into equations?
Rates Lines Circles

Chapters 4–6

Linear Models, Functions, Multipart Graphs

Linear functions, modeling, function notation, interpreting graphs, and building functions from multiple pieces.

Question: What does a function say about a changing situation?
Functions Linear Graphs

Chapters 7–9

Quadratics, Composition & Inverses

Quadratic functions, transformations, composition, inverse functions, and the structure of input-output relationships.

Question: How do functions combine, undo, and reshape each other?
Quadratics Composition Inverses

Chapters 10–12

Exponentials and Logarithms

Exponential growth and decay, logarithms, inverse relationships, and models where multiplication drives change.

Question: What kinds of change are better described by multiplication than addition?
Exp Logs Growth

Chapters 13–14

Transformations and Rational Functions

Shifts, stretches, reflections, rational functions, asymptotes, and how graphs change when formulas change.

Question: How does changing a formula move or reshape its graph?
Transforms Rational Asymptotes

Chapters 15–16

Angles and Angular Speed

Radians, angle measure, circular motion, angular speed, and the bridge from geometry to trigonometry.

Question: Why do radians make circular motion easier to describe?
Angles Radians Speed

Chapters 17–18

Circular Motion and Trig Functions

Unit circle ideas, sine and cosine, trig graphs, circular motion, and the connection between circles and waves.

Question: How does motion around a circle create a wave?
Trig Unit Circle Waves

Chapters 19–20

Sinusoidal Modeling and Inverse Trig

Sinusoidal models, amplitude, period, phase shift, inverse trigonometric functions, and real repeating behavior.

Question: How do we model something that repeats?
Sinusoidal Modeling Inverse Trig