Re: Potential new project: Calculator (scientific, graphing, statistical)

[Kevin Turner <Kevin.Turner@oberlin.edu>]

On Thu, Feb 11, 1999 at 08:54:34PM +0100, Bill Tihen wrote:
> I have wished for such a program for a while.  I found the current programs
> too programming oriented for a good math lesson.  But could you please
> model it after the sharp graphic calculators -- not the TI-series?

Hmm.  I don't (to my knowledge) have access to a Sharp calculator here,
and it's been a few years since I've even played with one.  What are the
noteworthy differences?  

> (I always thought it was odd that when 20 kids are doing the same
> experiment (with the same procedure) that they don't collect the data
> and do some real analysis like I did in as a researcher.)

My PSSC physics teacher did labs this way.  ;)  And yes, it's from that
class and classes like it that I stumbled on this hole in linux math
software...

> PS don't forget matrixes --

Ah yes.  I think those are definately worth including.

> seems like I am asking for a lot.  (especially if you make it
> extendable so that other people can add plug-ins and do even wierder
> analysis that I haven't even dreamed of.)

Modularization via plug-ins is a popular thing to do these days...  And
it has its uses.  I thought about it a bit, but my inital feeling is
that it would add a significant amount of complexity to the program
design, and for what gain?  As you mentioned, there are already a lot of
good program-oriented math tools out there.  But for your phyics class
and math lessons, are you really going to gain a lot from calculator
plug-ins?  Perhaps I suffer from a limited imagination, but I don't see
sufficient applications for it...

Otherwise, your ideas sound pretty much in-line with my own.

 - Kevin