Re: Simple Integrations in Mathematica
- To: MATHGROUP at yoda.physics.unc.edu
- Subject: Re: Simple Integrations in Mathematica
- From: winkel at nextwork.rose-hulman.edu
- Date: Wed, 24 Mar 93 10:44:25 EST
Hello Concerning Michael Ibrahim's question of making Mathematica output look like the textbook solutions for trig integrals, I say, "Let us not worry about that!" When the zero was introduced and the Roman numeral system was challenged, I doubt if the philosophy of those wanting to move ahead with a more capable system of counting always tried to get the new number writing system to look like Roman system. We need to move on. I would not worry about it, but ask students for ways to confirm that the answers are the same. An excellent way is to plot the two forms - the Mma answer and the textbook answer and see what they say. And they will come out to be the same or be a vertical translate - and this will serve to support the fact that we are trying to teach them about the fact that antiderivatives differ by a constant. I would suggest this, that instead of looking back all the time and longing for it, we look forward, cognizant of our past - approach given above - and see how we can truly take advantage of the technology to do new and exciting things, such as visualization, numerical work, modeling, data analysis, etc. and not the "form fitting" (at least in the first course in mathematics) and study of pathologies we have bound ourselves to in the past. Brian J. Winkel, Editor PRIMUS, Cryptologia, Collegiate Microcomputer Department of Mathematics Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Terre Haute IN 47803 USA PHONE: 812-877-8412: FAX 812-877-3198 email: winkel at nextwork.rose-hulman.edu (NeXT mail accepted too!)