Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!sun-barr!newstop!sun!stpeter!cmcmanis
From: cmcmanis@stpeter.Sun.COM (Chuck McManis)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: True Basics' Calculus & Dougs' Math Aquarium
Summary: Doug's Math Aquarium can help
Keywords: Math Calculus Basic
Message-ID: <133498@sun.Eng.Sun.COM>
Date: 27 Mar 90 00:13:53 GMT
References: <1965@dsacg3.dsac.dla.mil>
Sender: news@sun.Eng.Sun.COM
Reply-To: cmcmanis@sun.UUCP (Chuck McManis)
Organization: Sun Microsystems, Mountain View
Lines: 35


I don't think you could *learn* calculus by using Doug's Math Aquarium (DMA)
but it is a wonderful tool for visualizing things. The complexity of the 
types of equations it can graph is suffient for a couple of semesters of
college calculus. Of course it only works in three dimensions so you
are on your own when it comes time to figure out the curl of a 4D vector
function. 

I only have three gripes with it, all of which are actually enhancement
requests. 

	1) It would be nice if it took ARexx calls because one of the neat
	   things one can do with it is repeatedly plot an X,Y function with
	   slight variations in the parameters and then save them as IFF files.
	   Using the IFF files make an Anim out of them and then play it back
	   in "real" time. This can give a better understanding of the dynamics
	   of an equation.

	2) The other gripe is that it won't save an HPGL plot file in leiu
	   of an IFF file. That way I could use PLT: to generate a very
	   high resolution output of interesting equations.

	3) And finally it only does x/y plots where essentially calculating
	   f(x, y) for (p0 < x < p1 with y constant) and then similarly with
	   y with x constant. The gives you nice one form of plot but I would
	   like to generate 3D topological plots. The program includes a 
	   "gradient" mode where one could extract the topological information
	   and then use that for the 3D plot but it doesn't.

All in all I've been happy with my investment in it.

--Chuck McManis
uucp: {anywhere}!sun!cmcmanis   BIX: <none>   Internet: cmcmanis@Eng.Sun.COM
These opinions are my own and no one elses, but you knew that didn't you.
"If it didn't have bones in it, it wouldn't be crunchy now would it?!"