On Monday, students and faculty gathered at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to get a sneak peek of a math software program described by one company representative as "a calculator on steroids."
Representatives from Wolfram Research, a company based out of Champaign, Ill., gave a 90-minute presentation at the Nebraska Union that provided a comprehensive overview of the new software's features.
David Fowler, a professor of mathematics at UNL, said the software is designed to compute large math problems and graph them - adding that one of the program's best features was its ability to let users graph equations both visually and phonetically.
"The main power of it for teaching is dynamic visualization," he said. "You can constantly change and put things in motion."
Fowler described Monday's presentation as "a field trip to a software factory" that demonstrated how students would use the cutting-edge software.
The presentation included demonstrations of Mathematica 6, the newest version of the software available from Wolfram Research.
One potential use of the software is to turn a mathematical formula into a sound or a three-dimensional graph, representatives with Wolfram Research said.
As an example, Fowler said, all the sounds produced on Microsoft's Xbox 360 console were made from formulas that convert digits into sounds, not pre-recorded sounds in the console.
Fowler said the software was originally designed as a research tool for math and science professionals and universities, then UNL faculty saw it could be used as a teaching tool. The program is now being featured as a teaching tool for secondary education.
Many of UNL's academic departments could use the software in the future, including secondary education, mathematics and engineering.
Duncan Davidson, a senior math major, attended the information session for his secondary education class. Duncan said he plans on incorporating the software into the high school math classes he will teach after he graduates.
"We've discussed how to use software in general and how to demonstrate how to use the software," said Davidson.
stevescharf@dailynebraskan.com
