We present two versions of a 3D grapher that graphs a parametric surface defined in spherical coordinates. The user enters parametric formulas for the theta, phi, and rho coordinates and the applet draws the corresponding surface in 3D. The surface can be rotated in real time by the user and its opacity can be changed.
Click the screen shot below to open the first version of the grapher in a new window:
The second version of the grapher is much older and slower as it is written in AS1, but it has a few practice problems that might be of interest. Click the screen shot below to open the second version of the grapher in a new window:
For better understanding of spherical coordinates, you may want to take a look at the applet: Spherical Coordinates Presented Interactively
Note: The complete source code for the first version (the AS3 version) is available in the article "Flash Tools for Developers: 3D Graphers in ActionScript 3" that you can find at Custom Classes for Mathematics section of Flash and Math.
