Oh, by the way, we're doing the annual bridge project in calculus right now. We make a bridge using different mathematical curves and lines and we find the volume of it. Sorry, Joel, but your 100% Strong Bad bridge is going down. What we lack in a creative thing we can draw with calculus functions, we make up for by doing a lot more work. How, you may ask? First of all, we were allowed to extend our bridge length from 80m to 1200m, because longer bridges, like the Patullo, span that long. Second, we're making a double decker parabolic bridge with triangular bars going between the two decks (see the part in the middle for what I mean, it's not done yet), and we can't just multiply the number of bars by the same area in order to find the total, making it about 30-40 shapes to integrate in that part alone. Third, we're graphing the ground as its own 3-part function involving a square root, a sine wave and an exponential function. Fourth, we're using a secant function. We don't learn how to integrate those in this class. We're also using a reciprocal function. Fifth, we're using exact values whenever possible. Sixth, putting everything on a central x/y axis, for a reason you'll see in a sec.

Finally, there's one other small detail that I should note:















There are at least 50 functions in that picture, most of them vertical lines with an annoying restriction I have to put in which involves finding the value of different curves of different points, and there are at least 40 of those. I had to find two values per line.

We're going to try and get it printed in the drafting room. The paper will be about 4 meters long.

edit: more progress has been made since that last picture (more diagonal bars), and a line count gives me 109. Score.