Re: Re: Simplifying and Rearranging Expressions
- To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
- Subject: [mg96040] Re: [mg96008] Re: Simplifying and Rearranging Expressions
- From: "David Park" <djmpark at comcast.net>
- Date: Mon, 2 Feb 2009 06:22:12 -0500 (EST)
- References: <gls1u8$hjl$1@smc.vnet.net> <15441402.1233316177571.JavaMail.root@m02> <gm0q6p$rpr$1@smc.vnet.net> <21948368.1233483320724.JavaMail.root@m02>
It's OLD technology Tony. As so often happens, you snip out the more forceful and useful items in my replies. For technical development and communication, an interactive and dynamic medium, used actively, is orders of magnitude better that a static document. I think this would be apparent to anyone who had ever actually seen and used a well written dynamic document. The present old technology is now dominant but it won't be forever and perhaps not even for long. WRI is on the right path, and actually not that far from the goal. They need help from users to get the users` perspective. But there is a certain responsibility on users also to see the vision and learn how to use the superb instrument they have. David Park djmpark at comcast.net http://home.comcast.net/~djmpark/ From: AES [mailto:siegman at stanford.edu] In article <gm0q6p$rpr$1 at smc.vnet.net>, "David Park" <djmpark at comcast.net> wrote: > Nevertheless, I would still argue that users should be encouraged to do > derivations completely ACTIVELY using Mathematica. They may think about the > principles, strategy and tactics of a derivation when they are away from > Mathematica. But implementing a derivation or proof actively on Mathematica > has many advantages. I'll back down on my recent assertions on this point. People doing analyses should do them in whatever way works for them, and both David and I can well have different but valid suggestions on this. What I'm not at all ready to back down on at all-- and what Andrzej Kozlowski appears to agree with me on, at least partially -- is the broader assertion: Proposing to do analysis; numerical calculation; graphing and animation; and preparation of final expositions or presentations (i.e., reports, articles, talks, online web sites), using just one massive "integrated" package (e.g., Mathematica) and/or one single format (e.g., Mathematica notebooks), is an absolutely bad, undesirable, misguided, unworkable idea. It may be workable, even convenient, in some limited cases: A simple derivation, leading to a simple report or memo, which also functions as a seminar presentation or class lecture. But as a general or universal approach, it's a terrible idea, for many reasons, not all of these connected specifically with Mathematica, but with many of them very well illustrated by Mathematica.