ODETools Package
![DirectionField[y*x^2,{x,-2,2},{y,-2,2},ArrowHeads->True]](images/ODEToolsPics_gr_1.gif)
Synopsis
This package provides a single command which plots a direction field plot for a first order differential equation. It is intended as an instructional supplement.
Command
The following command is provided in this package:
DirectionField[f, {x, xmin, xmax}, {y, ymin, ymax}]
produces a direction
field plot of the first order differential equation dy/dx = f[x,y]. Use the
option PlotPoints to change the number of slope lines in the output. By
default PlotPoints is set to 11, meaning there are 11 slope lines drawn per
side, for 121 lines total. Use the setting ArrowHeads->True to place
arrowheads on the slope lines. Use the option ScaleArrows to change the
length of the slope lines: smaller numbers yield shorter arrows. The default
setting is 0.8. Values greater than 1 may lead to intersecting slope lines.
Last Updated: June 20, 2002