When Macsyma was being developed, the plans included building other
symbolic manipulators, for example for chemistry, allowing users to
define complex substances (for example,) proteins and further to
define rules governing chemical activity. With such a system,
expression evaluation could mimic the interaction of one chemical
substance with another; Though modeling such interactions would tax
even the fastest machines we use today (consider what happens when a
penicillin molecular complex meets a microbe, then expression
evaluation burden is substantial.)
Still, If kids are going to be exposed to computer algebra, it might
be a good idea to facilitate their understanding of the underpinnings
-- not to dwell on the underlying mechanics but merely to make sure
that sometime users realize that mathematics is but one application,
(albeit an important one!,) and that by building other ruleset tools,
one can attack problems in other disciplines.
--jg
From: nicolas.pettiaux at ael.be
Subject: [Maxima] Maxima and encarta
Date: January 19, 2007 9:15:10 AM EST
To: maxima at math.utexas.edu
Reply-To: nicolas.pettiaux at ael.be
Some of you may now the microsoft encyclopedia Encarta.
I have seen yesterday a demo of the new version that includes a CAS.
There are 2 front ends, one conventional and another one that looks
like a small digit computing platform (like the old TI30).
One interesting point is that it provides the solution of an equation
but also, optionnally, some tracing of the needed operations to go
from the problem to the solution, helping the user (eventually a
student) to grasp the method that has been used. I was wondering if
any such tool for tracing and providing textual explanation of the
method exist in maxima or would be difficult to write.
I was yesterday evidently dreaming that maxima replace encarta asap :-)
Thanks,
Nicolas
--