Teaching and Learning Using WolframAlpha Bernardine Renaldo Wong
Teaching and Learning Using Wolfram|Alpha Bernardine Renaldo Wong Institute of Mathematical Sciences Faculty of Science University of Malaya 50603 Kuala Lumpur emails: bernardr@um. edu. my and bernium@gmail. com
My Mathematica experience • Ph. D (University of Malaya, 1989) Analytical formalism for heavy-ion induced nuclear reactions • Fortran (unstructured!) • Completely numerical (no built-in symbolic capability) • Heard about Mathematica • Computers in Physics article (1991) • Reputation of Stephen Wolfram
From the journal Computers in Physics
Richard Feynman & Stephen Wolfram
My Mathematica experience (continued) • Started teaching in UM (1993) • Courses in scientific computing, • Fortran (structured), C, C++, • Excel, Matlab • Using Wolfram|Alpha to assist in classroom (since 2016) • Research • Grants from Malaysian Government • Fortran, Matlab • Mathematica (training session by Dr. Paul Abbott)
Wolfram|Alpha in the Classroom • Straw Poll – How many have heard/used Mathematica and/or Wolfram|Alpha • Poll taken at the start of Semester 1, 2016/2017 Academic Session Course Heard of Mathematica Heard of Wolfram|Alpha Mathematical Methods I (3 rd semester students in a mathematics-related major) 0/19 5/19 Scientific Computing (Final year mathematics students) 0/17 9/17
Wolfram|Alpha screenshots
Wolfram|Alpha screenshots (continued)
Mathematical Methods I
Scientific Computing • Accessing mathworld. com • Accessing Wolfram|Alpha • University-wide site license for • Mathematica Online • System. Modeler (effective November 2016)
Ph. D research student • Numerical & Symbolic computation • Root-finding • Solution of Schrodinger equation • Determining an analytical form for an integral
• A strength of Mathematica: • The ability to find functional forms of an otherwise intractable integrals
Mathematica stack exchange
A Very Satisfactory Conclusion! Dr. P. Rajesh Kumar a/l K. Parameswaran Nair
Conclusions • Wolfram|Alpha is an exceedingly useful knowledge engine • It is very accessible (free-form input) • It is not limited to the STEM disciplines • It deserves to be better known • Wolfram language • Strong numerical and symbolic programming capabilities • Functional and Rule-based programming paradigms • Ability to handle a broad range of problems
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