SNotebook falls short as a word processor and the learning curve was just not
worth my while during the heat of the semester. Now that the break is
imminent I'll be examing SNBook some more. For instance, if you want to
define a function....
in Derive author the expression f(x):=x^(-2/5)+x^(1/5)
in SNBook with the Math Button active, type in f(x)=x^(-2/5)+x^(1/5) and then
with the blinking cursor somewhere on this expression, click on the new
definition icon on the toolbar (which may or may not be displayed above the
workspace depending on whether you've setup the tools to show it from the
tools menu.)
Comments:
1. When I did this in SNB, I made the mistake of using brackets [] instead of
parentheses () - which is also a mistake in Derive, since brackets are
reserved for defining vectors.
2. There is another way to do this in SNB: from the Maple menu, pull down
"define" which has a large submenu allowing for a host of commands for
managing various packages of functions, including all of the usual Maple
packages. This is done in Derive by the sequence Transfer/Load/Utility. To
view these functions in Derive you need to open the utility file; in SNB you
go to Maple/Define/Show and get a new window.
So you've got this function defined - both packages allow you to do what you
will with them.
In Derive, authoring expression "f(2)" with cntrl+Enter will produce a
simplified value: (2^(3/5))/2+2^(1/5), although it is typeset with the
numerator over the denominator and the exponent in the superscript. With this
expression highlighted (up and down arrows highlight different expressions)
the "x" command approXimates this expression with a precision determined in
the Options/Precision menu.
By contrast, pressing the "=?" button on the SNB toolbox produces the same
expression as Derive only using radical notation. This was too small to read
until I opted for 200% under the view menu. After hunting hither and yon
through the menus I found script/superscript size settings formatting math
under the Tag/Appearence/Format/Math object size dialog box.
Maybe I'm making it seem more complicated than it is, but it seems that SNB is
much more powerful and fully Windows enhanced, with all the attendant
responsibility for knowing how to get what you want.
Finally, to graph the function
in Derive you press Plot and then choose beside/below/overlay and the press
Plot again to graph the expression highlighted in the Algebra window. To see
the hole plot you need to choose Manage/Branch/Real (otherwise it opts for the
imaginary roots of negative x-values.)
in SNB, position the insertion point (cursing blinker) immediately after the
expression to be graphed and press the 2dplot icon on the tool bar. When I
did this I got a plot which scaled 0<y<10^36 - apparently to accomodate the
vertical asymptote. Double clicking on the graph brings up its window where
the view tab contains a field for enabling/disabling the default view.
Resetting to a reasonable view, I see that the graph doesn't show the portion
of the graph where x<0. There doesn't seem to be any menu option abalogous to
Manage/Branch/Real in Derive, so I think to myself, it must be something like
on the TI85 where you need to regroup the terms: (x^-2)^(1/5) - but SNB
doesn't accept this syntax, apparently preferring (x^(-2))^(1/5), but even
that doesn't work....
This is not consistent with Maple, which accepts
plot(x^(-2/5)+x^(1/5),x=-10..10,y=-4..8); and produces a nice graph (nicer is
you add "numpoints=500".
I suppose it's all part of the learning curve -but I'm not ready to inflict
this on my students until I understand it. Simple things like making the view
window the same as the previous one instead of using the default settings
every time (with a significant wait for the unwanted graph even on my P200)
are peculiar obstacles which make me wonder if this thing has really been test
driven by serious users yet.
Maybe Mathematica is what I really need. I understand the teacher's version
will actually solve word problems step by step ..
Geoff Hagopian
Palm Desert, CA
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