# Articles
**URL:** https://cl.desmos.com/c/resources/articles/12.md
[Latest](https://cl.desmos.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://cl.desmos.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://cl.desmos.com/tags.md)
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## [Computation Layer 101](https://cl.desmos.com/t/computation-layer-101/8414)
**Author:** [@JayChow](https://cl.desmos.com/u/JayChow)\
**Replies:** 0\
**Last updated:** [November 25, 2025, 11:35pm UTC](https://cl.desmos.com/t/computation-layer-101/8414 "2025-11-25T23:35:14Z")
This article contains interactive elements. make sure you are signed into Activity Builder before continuing. Note: This article is a companion piece to our Introduction to CL webinar. You can view and register for upco…
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## [Animations and Parametric Curves](https://cl.desmos.com/t/animations-and-parametric-curves/8150)
**Author:** [@Daniel\_Grubbs](https://cl.desmos.com/u/Daniel_Grubbs)\
**Replies:** 0\
**Last updated:** [September 3, 2025, 7:13pm UTC](https://cl.desmos.com/t/animations-and-parametric-curves/8150 "2025-09-03T19:13:59Z")
There are many things that may motivate you to create activities for your students. One of the reasons that inspires me the most is providing an engaging and joyful experience for students to learn mathematics. It can b…
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## [List Functions in CL](https://cl.desmos.com/t/list-functions-in-cl/7353)
**Author:** [@SchuylerAlschuler](https://cl.desmos.com/u/SchuylerAlschuler)\
**Replies:** 0\
**Last updated:** [October 2, 2024, 9:44pm UTC](https://cl.desmos.com/t/list-functions-in-cl/7353 "2024-10-02T21:44:48Z")
Until recently, CL has had limited support for lists. Using the graph’s numberList source, you could access elements of a list or pass them between graphs, but not much else. In this article, we’ll give you a preview of …
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## [ASCII Art Spinners](https://cl.desmos.com/t/ascii-art-spinners/5588)
**Author:** [@SchuylerAlschuler](https://cl.desmos.com/u/SchuylerAlschuler)\
**Replies:** 0\
**Last updated:** [April 8, 2024, 7:31pm UTC](https://cl.desmos.com/t/ascii-art-spinners/5588 "2024-04-08T19:31:50Z")
Here’s a quick tip if you’d like to add a bit of flair to your activities. By switching between text strings you can create simple animations. For example, try entering a value on this screen. Which string should we …
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## [Sketch Inside The Lines](https://cl.desmos.com/t/sketch-inside-the-lines/5587)
**Author:** [@JayChow](https://cl.desmos.com/u/JayChow)\
**Replies:** 0\
**Last updated:** [April 8, 2024, 5:53pm UTC](https://cl.desmos.com/t/sketch-inside-the-lines/5587 "2024-04-08T17:53:56Z")
If there’s one thing I’ve learned in art and in teaching, its that things rarely come out the way you plan. Sketching inside the lines is hard. Getting all of your students to sketch inside the lines might be impossibl…
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## [Save This Snippet! - Sketch Transformations Made Easy](https://cl.desmos.com/t/save-this-snippet-sketch-transformations-made-easy/5514)
**Author:** [@JayChow](https://cl.desmos.com/u/JayChow)\
**Replies:** 0\
**Last updated:** [April 3, 2024, 2:33am UTC](https://cl.desmos.com/t/save-this-snippet-sketch-transformations-made-easy/5514 "2024-04-03T02:33:40Z")
Sketch transformations can be tough. First, getting the math right can be tricky, especially when you start combining rotations, with translations and dilations (not to mention rotations around non-origin points). Second…
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## [numericValue vs simpleFunction](https://cl.desmos.com/t/numericvalue-vs-simplefunction/5528)
**Author:** [@JayChow](https://cl.desmos.com/u/JayChow)\
**Replies:** 0\
**Last updated:** [April 3, 2024, 11:06pm UTC](https://cl.desmos.com/t/numericvalue-vs-simplefunction/5528 "2024-04-03T23:06:40Z")
Computing values in CL requires a bit more than entering simple arithmetic (e.g. 1+1 won’t get you anywhere). For computations in CL, we primarily use numericValue and simpleFunction. Here’s what each does: numericValu…