You Do The Math

"If you think dogs can't count, try putting three dog biscuits in your pocket and then giving Fido only two of them."

Phil Pastoret was dead right! We all use mathematics daily, without even being aware we're doing so. Of course, in code development, math plays a more obvious role. This Active Session is dedicated to tutorials which focus on mathematics and how it can help you as a developer.

Posts in this series

Quick Tip: Get a Random Number Within a Specified Range Using AS3
We often need to use a randomly generated number for certain situations; using Math.random() * n will usually do the trick, but it will only calculate a...
Carlos Yanez
25 Feb 2010
Code
Quick Tip: Trigonometry for Flash Game Developers
In Deploy a Tank in an Isometric War Zone, you learned how to make an object rotate to face the pointer and move towards a location on click. In this Quick...
Konstantin Serov
29 Jun 2010
Code
Simulate Projectile Motion with ActionScript 3.0
sup {font-size:xx-small; vertical-align:top;} In this tutorial I’m going to take you through the process of simulating basic projectile motion using...
Scott Langendyk
24 May 2010
Code
Creating Generative Art with HYPE
During this tutorial we're going to tie math and design together. We'll explore Branden Hall and Joshua Davis' HYPE framework and create generative art from...
Anton Mills
22 Feb 2011
Code
Playing Around with Elastic Collisions
In this tutorial we will create a game where the objective is to prevent other objects from colliding with your cursor. We won't use Flash's built-in...
Steven Devooght
27 Feb 2012
Code
Euclidean Vectors in Flash
Twice a month, we revisit some of our readers’ favorite posts from Activetuts+ history. This week’s retro-Active tutorial, first published in April, is a...
Daniel Sidhion
15 Nov 2011
Code
Gravity in Action
The study of forces is of central interest in dynamics, the study of causes of motion and changes in motion. Gravitational force is one example; it is this...
Kah Shiu Chong
27 Jun 2011
Code
Hit the Target With a Deadly Homing Missile
This tutorial will guide you through adding deadly accurate homing missiles to the arsenal of your next game.
Daniel Ramirez
29 Jun 2011
Code
Circular Motion in AS3: Make One Moving Object Orbit Another
Having one object orbit another is a movement mechanic that's been used since the early gaming era, and it remains handy to this very day! In this Quick Tip...
Tyler Seitz
10 Feb 2012
Code
Understanding Affine Transformations With Matrix Mathematics
Inspired by Prof. Wildberger in his lecture series on linear algebra, I intend to implement his mathematical ideas with Flash. We shall not delve into the...
Kah Shiu Chong
17 Feb 2012
Code
The Math and ActionScript of Curves: Drawing Quadratic and Cubic Curves
We see lines used in a lot of scenarios. Curves are also used, although perhaps not as frequently - but that doesn't undermine their importance! In this...
Kah Shiu Chong
21 May 2012
Code
The Math and ActionScript of Curves: Roots
In the first tutorial of this series, we took a look at drawing curves using equations and AS3. Now, we're going to tackle solving those equations to find...
Kah Shiu Chong
15 Jun 2012
Code