Candle

By: Serina Chavez

In brainstorming this "math-terpiece", I wanted something that was simple but not too easy,
symbolic but not too common, and deep but not too cheesy. Thus, I came up with the
candlestick and person. Some may call it a birthday candle but I don't mind. Both have a
meaning and feel I agree with.
In creating the image of a girl blowing out a candle, I used 17 function (each x-value has one
y-value) equations and 3 non-function (each x-value has more than one y-value) equations.
All of the equations were either quadratic, cubic, exponential, radical (square root), radical
(cube root), absolute value, or linear.
Below is a list of all the functions and non-functions I used to create the image as well as
the part of the picture they create. (To best see/understand equation, copy and paste into
Desmos).
Girl
Equation

Type

Part of Image

$\left\{x<-7:\frac{\sqrt{x+13}}{4}+31\right\}$

Radical (square
root)

Left eyebrow

$\left\{x<13:\frac{\sqrt{x-7}}{4}+31\right\}$

Radical (square
root)

Right eyebrow

$\left\{-12<x<-8:\frac{\left(x+10\right)}{2.5}^2+27\right\}$

Quadratic

Left eye

$\left\{8<x<12:\frac{\left(x-10\right)}{2.5}^2+27\right\}$

Quadratic

Right eye

$\left\{x<3:\space
1\left(.1\right)^{\left(x+1\right)}+17\right\}\left\{y<30\right\}$

Exponential

Nose

$\left\{-2.5<x<2.5:-\frac{x}{3.2}^2+12\right\}$

Quadratic

Upper lip

$\left\{-2.4<x<2.4:\frac{x}{2}^2+10\right\}$

Quadratic

Bottom lip

$\left\{-20.1<x<-1.5:\frac{\left(.7\right)^{\left(x+4\right)}}{9}-3\right\}$

Exponential

Left side of face

$\left\{1.5<x<19.34:\frac{\left(2\right)^{\left(x-11\right)}}{9}-3\right\}$

Exponential

Right side of face

$\left\{2>x>-31:\left(\frac{x}{7}+2\right)\frac{x}{7}^2+39\right\}$

Cubic

Hair left side

$\left\{-2<x<31:-\left(\frac{x}{7}-2\right)\frac{x}{7}^2+39\right\}$

Cubic

Hair right side

Equation

Type

Part of Image

$\left\{-1.5<x<1.5:-\left(\frac{x}{3}\right)^2-1\right\}$

Quadratic

Candle top

$x=\left\{-1.3>y>-15\space :-1.5\right\}$

Non-function:
linear

Candle left wall

Candle and Flame

$x=\left\{-1.3>y>-15:1.5\right\}$

Non-function:
linear

Candle right wall

$\left\{-1.5<x<1.5\space :-15\right\}$

Linear

Candle bottom

$x=\left\{-1<y<0:0\right\}$

Non-function:
linear

Candle wick

$\left\{-1.5<x<1.5:\left|x\right|-7\right\}$

Absolute value

Top candle pattern

$\left\{-1.5<x<1.5:\left|x\right|-8\right\}$

Absolute value

Middle candle pattern

$\left\{-1.5<x<1.5:\left|x\right|-9\right\}$

Absolute value

Bottom candle pattern

$\left\{.3<x<1.4:-x^2+5\right\}$

Quadratic

Flame top right

$\left\{-1.5<x<.22:\left(x+.5\right)^{\frac{1}{3}}+4\right\}$

Radical (cube
root)

Flame top left

$\left\{-1.45<x<0:-x^3\right\}$

Cubic

Flame bottom left

$\left\{1.45>x>0:x^3\right\}$

Cubic

Flame bottom right

You will notice that, all the equations are surrounded by curly brackets and that, before the
actual equations, there is an inequality and colon. These are both contributing factors to
restricting the domain and range of the functions. If I did not do this, each function and
non-function would continue on infinitely on both sides and the image would look wild and
distorted like this (compare it to the other image):