That is the equation of a parabolic cylinder. There is a free 3D grapher you can download here: http://calculator.runiter.com/graphing-calculator/download-free-graphing-calculator.htm After downloading it, type (x+y)^2 after z= and it will graph the parabolic cylinder for you. Keep playing around with it, change the x to 3 and look at f(3,y) which is (3+y)^2. Then look at f(x,2) which is (x+2)^2. You can move the graph around in any position with the mouse. Have fun with it! Edwin