This page contains an applet to help you explore polynomials of degrees up to 5: f(x) = ax5 + bx4 + cx3 + dx2 + ex + f. by changing the values of the coefficients a, b, c, d, e and f. It is not easy to draw any conclusion when you change all 5 coefficients at the same time. You can always reduce the degree (highest power) by setting some parameters to zero. For example if you set parameter a to zero and b to a non zero value, you obtain a polynomial of degree 4.
What is a nautilus? The nautilus is a mollusk that uses jet propulsion to roam the ocean deep. Writers, artists, and engineers have long marveled at the nautilusâs beauty and swimming abilities. The chambered or pearly nautilus is a cephalopod (a type of mollusk)âa distant cousin to squids, octopi, and cuttlefish. Unlike its color-changing cousins, though, the soft-bodied nautilus lives inside its hard external shell. The shell itself has many closed interior chambers or âcompartments.â.
The name nautilus originally referred to the pelagic octopuses of the genus Argonauta, otherwise known as paper nautiluses, as the ancients believed these animals used their two expanded arms as sails.