Raising an animation curve to a power of itself creates a non-linear 'stay down longer' contact simulation

The standard parabola 4t(1-t) produces a perfectly symmetric jump. Raising it to the power of (2-f) — where f is the parabola value — sharpens the transition near zero and creates an asymmetric curve: the character lingers at the bottom before jumping. The control parameter (the ‘2’) adjusts how long the bottom dwell lasts; higher values = more time squatting before launch. This self-referential power trick is generally applicable: any signal raised to a power of (k - signal) changes the knee shape non-linearly without analytical design of the curve.

Examples

float ft = fract(iTime); float f = 4.0*ft*(1.0-ft); float p = pow(f, 2.0-f); // dwell at bottom

Assessment

Set the power parameter to 12 in the expression pow(f, 12.0-f) and describe the animation behavior. What physical movement does this extreme value simulate?