Take note of the Rev. H. W. Adams' description of the operating behavior of ten-year-old Truman Henry Safford (1836-1901)."Multiply in your head" (ordered the compassionate Dr. Adams) "365, 365, 365, 365, 365, 365 by 365, 365, 365, 365, 365, 365. He flew around the room like a top, pulled his pantaloons over the tops of his boots,bit his hands,rolled his eyes in their sockets,sometimes smiling and talking,and then seeming to be in an agony,until,in not more than one minute,said he, 133, 491, 850, 208, 566, 925, 016, 658, 299, 941, 583, 225!"
--> James R. Newman (ed.), Volume I-IV The World of Mathematics. Simon and Schuster, New York 1956, p. 466
AxoGraph
Straight lines, perpendicular, horizontal, and equal {i.e. there are nowdays}; the time for the curves will come.
{curves = the labor class, metaphorically}
--> Greek graffiti
VERSION - UPDATE: 2.0 ( Jan. 94)
README:
"AxoGraph contains a built in programming environment. Programs can be written in Pascal, Fortran, Basic or C and executed from any text window or from the Program menu."
"This program is running as a fully functional demostration. It will irreversibly cease to function in two to three months."
AUTHOR:
John Clements
COPYRIGHT:
(c) Axon Instruments, Inc. 1994
TYPE:
Freeware Demo version
INTERNET SITES:
Original site:
http://www.axonet.com/pub/demos/axograph/
CABRI GEOMETRY II
It is easier to square the circle than to get round a mathematician.
--> Budget of Paradoxes. London, 1872
Someday, in the Dark Days of the Greek dictatorship (1967-74), the Greek dictator had had a meeting with the students of Mathematics in an Athens square.
- Have you any problem to be solved ? he asked the students (i.e. educational problem).
- Yes, said a student. Can you square the circle?
- No, replied the dictator, but I can (en)circle the square...! (i.e. the square by tanks, of course...)
--> Greek anecdote (of the above Dark Days)
VERSION - UPDATE: Demo v. 1.0 (11-30-94)
README:
"Cabri Geometry is a software which fas been developed to be an help for teaching and learning elementary geometry"
AUTHORS:
Jean-Marie Laborde
Franck Bellemain
COPYRIGHT:
(c) 1988-94 IMAG - CNRS - Universite Joseph Fourier, France
--> Euclid / Menaechmus to Ptolemy / Alexander (the Great)
It is a happy thing that there is no royal road to poetry.
--> Gerard Manley Hopkins
VERSION - UPDATE: 3.0* (US) (04-27-95)
README:
This is a preview version of The Geometer's Sketchpad. While it is similar to full versions, you cannot save or export your work. The full application features more advanced transformational options, coprocessor support, color printing, and more. Additionally, commercial versions come with Teaching Notes, Sample Activity black-line masters, and over 75 sketches and scripts."
AUTHOR:
Nicholas Jackiw
COPYRIGHT:
(c) 1991-1995 by Key Curriculum Press
TYPE:
Free demo version
INTERNET SITES:
ftp://forum.swarthmore.edu/software/demos/
NumberCrunch II Demo
The primary purpose of the DATA statement is to give names to constants; instead of referring to pi as 3.141592653589793 at every appearance, the variable PI can be given that value with a DATA statement and used instead of the longer form of the constant. This also simplifies modifying the program, should the value of pi change. --> Fortran Manual for Xerox Computers.
VERSION - UPDATE: v. 1.0.4 (12-18-92)
README:
"NumberCrunch II is a tool for doing numerical work on the Mac. It features
窶｢ variables and formulas for simple calculations,
窶｢ unit conversions, definitions, and manipulations,
窶｢ arrays, matrices, tensors, and several of their products,
窶｢ complex numbers and transcendental functions,
窶｢ interactive graphs of points and curves,
窶｢ a built-in pascal-like interpreted programming language, and
窶｢ externally compiled code resources for routines like Fourier transforms."
AUTHOR:
Jim Mahoney
COPYRIGHT:
(c) Windham Software 1992
TYPE:
Freeware demo version ("Real" NS II : US $85)
INTERNET SITES:
Info-Mac
REDUCE
Someone who had begun to read geometry with Euclid, when he had learned the first proposition, asked Euclid:
- But what shall I get by learning these things?
whereupon Euclid called his slave and said:
- Give him three-pence since he must make gain out of what he learns.
--> Stobaeus.
When the greatest poet of Modern Greece, Dionysios Solomos, wrote his epigram for Psara {= a greek island destroyed by Turks}, went to a highly respected mathematician and recited it. The mathematician indifferently told him:
- My child, can you tell me what is the practical use of this poem?
"REDUCE is an interactive program designed for general algebraic computations of interest to mathematicians, scientists and engineers."
" There are demonstration systems for PC and Macintosh available. These systems are about half the speed of the real system, and do not include all the facilities of a licenced REDUCE. In particular they are without a garbage collector."
AUTHOR: -
COPYRIGHT:
(c) 1993 RAND Corporation and Codemist Ltd,"Alta", Horsecombe Vale, Combe Down, Bath BA2 5QR, UK
