Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!ucsd!ucbvax!bloom-beacon!eru!hagbard!sunic!news.funet.fi!uwasa.fi!ts
From: ts@uwasa.fi (Timo Salmi)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.pascal
Subject: Homework on the net, sigh, not again (Was Re: Roots of polynomials)
Message-ID: <1990Dec6.194700.28242@uwasa.fi>
Date: 6 Dec 90 19:47:00 GMT
References: <2173@mentor.cc.purdue.edu> <1990Dec5.175558.29859@dg-rtp.dg.com> <4529@idunno.Princeton.EDU>
Organization: University of Vaasa
Lines: 34

In article <4529@idunno.Princeton.EDU> subbarao@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (Kartik Subbarao) writes:
>In article <1990Dec5.175558.29859@dg-rtp.dg.com> hagins@gamecock.rtp.dg.com (Jody Hagins) writes:
>>In article <2173@mentor.cc.purdue.edu>, k3u@mentor.cc.purdue.edu (Barry Smith) writes:
>>|> Does anyone have the source code to routines that can extract
>>|> the complex roots of polynomials?  If there is a book that has
:
>>GENERAL NOTE:
>>It's getting close to finals time, and while it is tempting,
>>this newsgroup is not the place for getting your homework
:
>Yes this is true. But why are you assuming that he wants to do his homework
>on USENET? Don't you think its a bit prejudging to assume right off the
:
>Anyway -- what does everyone else think about this? I've seen both sorts of
>attitudes on the subject. What do you guys think comp.lang.c should do?

Sigh! We had the same discussion (partly my doing) almost exactly a
year ago (coincidence? :-).  Yes, the opinions were quite divided. 
One of the views was to take a selfish stand, that is that
everything that benefits comp.lang.pascal should be freely
discussed.  This may be the best tenet.  But in my role as a teacher
I also feel that the possibility should not be (overly?) misused. 
On the other hand, being able to use this media amounts to something
in a student's education, right.  There is no unequivocal answer. 

As to the current problem of solving the polynomial roots.  If one
needs the solution for REAL (not imaginary :-) tasks, then just buy
the Turbo Pascal Numerical Toolbox, as I pointed out in an earlier
posting. 

...................................................................
Prof. Timo Salmi        (Moderating at anon. ftp site 128.214.12.3)
School of Business Studies, University of Vaasa, SF-65101, Finland
Internet: ts@chyde.uwasa.fi Funet: gado::salmi Bitnet: salmi@finfun


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