Wolfram language

[Jim Hurley]

> 
> Message: 29
> Date: Tue, 25 Feb 2014 20:22:48 -0800
> From: Richard Gaskin <ambassador at fourthworld.com>
> To: use-livecode at lists.runrev.com
> Subject: Re: Wolfram language
> Message-ID: <530D6C18.3080804 at fourthworld.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
> 
> Did you see what [-hh] cooked up in the forums?
> <http://forums.runrev.com/viewtopic.php?f=76&t=19132>

Richard et. al.

Adding Mathematica and/or Wolfram to LC would be a sea chance. 
Mathematica is already causing  profound changes in educating theoretical physicists. I remember countless hours  solving differential equation, complex integrals, differential geometry and the whole arena of analytical mathematics. Trouble is I loved it, and I would have missed it. I loved every bit of mathematics, the same way so many of you love programing.

It is difficult to know what to include in the curriculum now. It’s not the same as adding hand held calculators to students of arithmetic. Should we teach students how to take square roots. I certainly can’t remember how. Should we teach them how so solve differential equations?

It is surely true that providing these preprogramed solutions in Mathematica makes it possible to expand one’s imagination to whole new areas that were previously inaccessible. And that is a profound change. But there is always the nagging feeling that without the underlying capability to do the math, you will eventually run into a problem that Wolfram hasn’t though of.

And, Richard, as a petty aside, that formula and graph in the forum you cite don’t “compute.” 
The formula is  y = 3* sin(x+pi*J) where J runs from 0 to 4 and x from -3 to +3.
But adding 2* pi, or 4*pi is the same as 0*pi. In the same way 1*pi and 3*pi give the same results. So there are really only 2 distinct curves, not the 5 shown.
But I’m sure the author was plotting a different formula than the one shown.

And, by the way, that same problem is easy dealt with in, you guessed it, Turtle Graphics:

on mouseUp
  put 40 into scale
  startTurtle
  clean
  repeat with J = 0 to 4
     put -3 into x
     pen up
     setXY x*scale, scale * 3* sin(x+pi*J)
     penDown
     repeat until x >3
        setXY x*scale, Scale * 3* sin(x+pi*J)
        add .1 to x
     end repeat
  end repeat
  choose the browse tool
end mouseUp

But there is another significant difference between LC and what one might achieve in the new Wolfram-enabled LC.  One cannot plot a truly smooth curve in LC. The curve is always a set of line segments joining a set of discrete points. It is similar to the difference between bit map and vector graphics. (I wonder whether Wolfram will provide the ability to show the *evolving* curve as one can in LC?)

I will have to leave that  brave and bold new world to all you young Turks now.  Have fun.  I’m  82,  retired, and my mind doesn’t work as well as it used to.

But I”m still having lots of fun in the old world.

Jim

> 
> --
> Richard Gaskin
> Fourth World Systems
> Software Design and Development for Desktop, Mobile, and Web
> ____________________________________________________________
> Ambassador at FourthWorld.com http://www.FourthWorld.com
> 
>