Parametric Equation
A parametric equation is a reformulation of an equations in terms of time, such that there is now a direction associated with movement along the equation.
Contents
Description
A line can often be described with a single equation. This below line, however, requires two equation to be expressed: y=√(x+1)+1 and y=-√(x+1)+1.
This can be addressed by reformulating the equation in terms of time t: y=f(t) and x=g(t). In this specific example, the parametric equations are y=t and x=(t-1)2-1.
This has the side effect of associating a direction with movement along the line. At t=0, the solution is (-1,1). At t=1, the solution is (0,2).