Mathematical Science & Technologies » Mathematics-General

Professional Grade Typesetting with LaTeX / TeX

Assad Ebrahim — Thu, 20 May 2010 19:38:12 +0000

(Mathematical Toolset Series: TeX & LaTeX, Part 1 of 3)

If symbols, formulas, and equations comprise a large portion of your professional communication, then becoming familiar with the LaTeX / TeX platform should be high on your to-do list. With the right tools and a little practice, the relative ease of creating beautiful documents with [...]

An Open Source LaTeX / TeX Platform for Windows

Assad Ebrahim — Thu, 20 May 2010 18:44:19 +0000

(Mathematical Toolset Series: TeX & LaTeX, Part 2 of 3)

LaTeX / TeX on Windows has had the rather unfortunate reputation of being difficult to install and use. But with the quality of today’s open source tools and references, this is no longer the case, and should not be a reason to deter you from [...]

Writing Modular TeX Documents

Assad Ebrahim — Thu, 20 May 2010 17:14:55 +0000

(Mathematical Toolset Series: TeX & LaTeX, Part 3 of 3)

If you write frequently, it is likely that you have certain stock or administrative material that is included in each of your documents. You also likely spend a substantial portion of your overall effort re-writing, editing, or re-arranging material. In this situation, one of [...]

Meta-Questions and Educational Success

Assad Ebrahim — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 16:53:29 +0000

Abstract

“It seems that students who are hard-working and otherwise successful, but whose milieu (peers, mentors, and home environment) are at once non-technical and disengaged from the ideas behind science and technology, are at a higher risk of disorientation, dissatisfaction, or disillusionment with mathematics and science.”

In this article, I will explore this conjecture, and suggest a [...]

Maxima for Symbolic Computation

Assad Ebrahim — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 06:33:13 +0000

…By virtue of its unbeatable low cost (free), ready availability for all three major operating systems, and its raw power in all areas of mathematics and analytic engineering, Maxima is a mathematical computing package that ought to be in the toolbelt of every programmer, engineering, scientist, and mathematician.

From garden-variety algebraic simplification, polynomials, calculus, [...]

Mathematics Toolset

Assad Ebrahim — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 11:52:59 +0000

…For industry or research.

Over the coming months, I’ll be posting articles as part of a series on setting up a toolset for Mathematics work in industry or research.

I’ll be emphasizing open source software. Though the primary target is the Windows PC platform (dominant in industry), I will list alternatives for Linux/Unix.

The current plan is [...]

Teaching Mathematics “in Tunic”

Assad Ebrahim — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 16:04:11 +0000

…Thoughts on the Teaching of Exploratory, Topical Mathematics

Mathematics is a richly spun tapestry threaded with interconnections from a multiplicity of endeavors, perspectives, and disciplines, both theoretical and applied. Contrary to its typical presentation, mathematics is not a linear subject.

For an instructor, this presents a number of challenges: how best to address the non-linear, inter-woven [...]