Abstract
Our story involves a bunch of junior high school students learning Cartesian plotting and graphing in order to
understand the mathematics of a parabolic curve. Further exploration of the curve led to the development of a
design project called “Possibilities of the Parabola” within which the parabolic curve served as a foundation shape
for the creation of three-dimensional aesthetic objects. The objects themselves were related to the concept of
vessel. That is, a container, a receptacle, a holder of something. The students were not to lose sight of the parabola
but rather, embed the curve into their designs. As the project progressed, they experienced the joy in making that
was interconnected to their studies in mathematics.
