Re: New Version 3 Presentations
- To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
- Subject: [mg112532] Re: New Version 3 Presentations
- From: Murray Eisenberg <murray at math.umass.edu>
- Date: Sun, 19 Sep 2010 05:37:00 -0400 (EDT)
The "old stuff" in Presentations is still good, too! For example, if you want to do even just draw graphics in the plane, it's often more natural to describe geometric objects by means of complex numbers instead of by length-2 lists of reals. The complex graphics functions of Presentations support that. About the new stuff: The new PresentationsPalette, which among other things pastes function templates in the same sort of way that the Mathematica Classroom Assistant does, is very useful to beginners. At least my complex analysis beginners are finding it so. That palette includes a bonus: a button "OptionsFinder" that pops up a separate little palette. Now when you have an function expression in your notebook and you want to know what options are available for it, you just click the button on the OptionsFinder palette to get a pop-up palette showing all the options and their defaults. This is quicker than evaluating an Options[funcname] expression in your notebook. And what's even better, if you put the cursor in your notebook where an option should go for the function in question, the button on the pop-up palette for an option opt inserts into your notebook an expression of the form opt -> defaultValue. That OptionsFinder works not only for Presentations functions, but for built-in Mathematica functions as well. (I used to be skeptical about the utility of palettes; I thought they might just delay learning the actual things to type. But Helen Read's postings to this group about how her students eased into typing out Mathematica expressions by beginning with the ClassroomAssistant palette have convinced me otherwise. And for a function in Presentations that's new or insufficiently familiar to me, I often find the quickest way to get started learning it is to insert a template from the palette.) On 9/18/2010 7:23 AM, Peter wrote: > Seconded: Greatly increases quality of of maths presentations and provides a range of tools that assist in Mathematica computations. > > Peter Lindsay > > Sent from mobile > > On 17 Sep 2010, at 11:44, WetBlanket<wyvern864 at gmail.com> wrote: > >> On Sep 15, 3:39 am, "David Park"<djmp... at comcast.net> wrote: >>> A new Version 3 of Presentations has been released. Update notices have been >>> sent to all purchasers and any who have not received the notice, usually >>> because of change of email address, may contact me. >>> >>> Presentations ($50) is a general add-on to Mathematica that aids in custom >>> graphics, tables and dynamics and in writing notebooks utilizing the active >>> and dynamic features of Mathematica within a classical style. It can be >>> purchased through my web site. >>> >>> New features added to Presentations in Version 3 are: >>> >>> 1) Ternary plots, which represent 3-dimensional data, with a linear >>> constraint, within a 2-dimensional triangular region. >>> >>> 2) Table Maker for constructing custom tables using a paradigm similar to >>> the DrawGraphics graphics paradigm. >>> >>> 3) Student's Linear Equations for solving linear equations within a matrix >>> structure with context using step-by-step operations. The matrix structure >>> columns may be covariant (the usual) or contravariant, which adds useful new >>> functionality. This can be used for didactic purposes or for solving small >>> to medium size problems. There are examples from linear equations, linear >>> programming and chemical stoichiometry problems. >>> >>> 4) A new PresentationsPalette that gives easy access for pasting almost all >>> the commands and major documentation Guide pages. >>> >>> 5) A slightly revised style sheet to give improved Printout format, and a >>> second version with a handy toolbar at the top. >>> >>> David Park >>> >>> djmp... at comcast.net >>> >>> <http://home.comcast.net/~djmpark>http://home.comcast.net/~djmpark/ >> >> If you have not already purchased this package, do so immediately. It >> is well worth the cost -- a great set of Mathematica tools. >> > -- Murray Eisenberg murray at math.umass.edu Mathematics & Statistics Dept. Lederle Graduate Research Tower phone 413 549-1020 (H) University of Massachusetts 413 545-2859 (W) 710 North Pleasant Street fax 413 545-1801 Amherst, MA 01003-9305