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Scientific Notebook 5.5

Makes Teaching and Learning Mathematics Easier

Scientific Notebook Version 5.5 is ideal for reports, homework, and exams. With Scientific Notebook, creating attractive documents that contain text, mathematics, and graphics is seamless and easy.

Version 5.5 includes RTF export, enabling you to share your work with colleagues or friends who do not have Scientific Notebook.

Quick, Clean, and Easy

The software is simple to use, yet powerful enough to facilitate teaching, communicating, learning, and exploring mathematics in the classroom. It is based on an easy-to-use word processor that completely integrates writing mathematics in natural notation.

Entering text and mathematics in Scientific Notebook is so straightforward there is practically no learning curve. Formatting is fast, simple, and consistent, since it is done with tags that define the document structure and appearance.

The software comes with reference manuals and an extensive online help system for creating documents and doing mathematics. If you need additional help, MacKichan Software provides reliable, prompt, free technical support.

The Power of Computer Algebra

Scientific Notebook is supplied with the built-in computer algebra engine MuPAD® 3.1. You can solve equations right in your documents with our easy-to-use interface.

You don't have to master complex syntax to be able to evaluate, simplify, solve, or plot mathematical expressions. Full computer algebra capabilities are available. You can compute symbolically or numerically, integrate, differentiate, and solve algebraic and differential equations. With menu commands, you can compute with over 150 units of physical measure. You can import data from graphing calculators.

In addition, you can use the Exam Builder provided with Scientific Notebook to construct exams algorithmically and to generate, grade, and record quizzes on a web server.

Animate, Rotate, Zoom, and Fly

With Scientific Notebook Version 5.5, you can create 2-D and 3-D plots in many styles and coordinate systems, and enhance the plots with background color, grid lines, and plot labels in specified locations and orientations. And with MuPAD's VCAM you can animate these kinds of plots: 2D plots in polar coordinates, 2D and 3D plots in rectangular coordinates, 2D and 3D implicit plots, 2D and 3D vector fields, 3D tube plots, 3D plots in cylindrical coordinates, and 3D plots in spherical coordinates and vector fields.

View all your plots in the VCAM window with playback toolbar controls. Use your mouse to start, stop, re-run, and loop animations. Define an animation variable t for your plot and specify the animation start and end times and the rate of frames per second. With OpenGL 3D graphics, you can rotate, move, zoom in and out, and fly through 3D plots.

Work with "Live" Mathematics Over the World Wide Web

If you have Internet access, you can open the file at any URL address from inside the software. With Scientific Notebook, you can send mathematical documents containing text, equations, and plots over the Internet. Scientific Viewer, our free web browser, makes the exchange of technical documents a breeze.

The software supports hypertext links, so you can facilitate navigation for your readers through a series of related documents. Readers can view and print documents using Scientific Viewer. With the external lookup feature, you can access or run external programs, such as a search engine or other application, directly from your Scientific Notebook document.

Natural Mathematics Notation and Computer Algebra
 

Until now, traditional typesetting and symbolic computation systems forced you to use an array of commands and a complex syntax to represent your input. Many of these systems have over 2,000 separate operators, such as int and diff, that you must learn in order to create input. For example, if you want to integrate the expression

using a traditional computation system, you must enter it in linear fashion, int(x2/sqrt(x2-9),dx). To typeset it with LaTeX, you must write $intfrac{x{2}}{sqrt{x{2}-9}}dx$. A simple typing mistake would cause an error message.

Scientific WorkPlace, Scientific Word, and Scientific Notebook eliminate the need to learn complex syntax by using natural notation for input and to show results. With these products, you can enter mathematics easily with the mouse, or, as you gain confidence and familiarity, with keyboard shortcuts.

Here is how you enter the above integral using the mouse in Scientific WorkPlace, Scientific Word, and Scientific Notebook:

You can also enter the integral using only the keyboard. Here we use "Ctrl+i" to mean hold down the Ctrl key while you press the "i" key:

In Scientific WorkPlace, Scientific Word, and Scientific Notebook, the space key always moves the insertion point out of the object it is in, and the Tab key always moves the insertion point to the next input box in the current template, if there is one. Thus, in step 9, the first space moves the insertion point out of the radical, but leaves it in the denominator of the fraction. The second space moves it out of the fraction. Pressing the Ctrl key together with the up or down arrow key moves the insertion point up or down to a superscript or a subscript position. The space key returns the insertion point to the main line. Ctrl+up arrow followed by Ctrl+down arrow moves the insertion point to the subscript of a superscript position, not to the main line.

All the symbols in the main TeX fonts are available in Scientific WorkPlace, Scientific Word, and Scientific Notebook, which means you have everything you need to type mathematics. Also, if you know the TeX names for mathematical objects and symbols, you can use them (for example, holding down Ctrl while you type int enters an integral). You do not need to know TeX names to enter mathematics.

Scientific WorkPlace and Scientific Notebook are unexcelled in the simplicity of their interface with computer algebra systems. A comparison of the computational features available in Scientific WorkPlace and Scientific Notebook and in traditional computation systems reveals three major differences:

1. When you enter an expression, Scientific WorkPlace and Scientific Notebook derive operations from the natural notation used. For example, if you enter or , the program understands what you are writing and evaluates the expressions appropriately. This is not possible in other computation systems, because they force you to be exact with your input syntax. To illustrate this, we enter an integral using natural mathematical notation) and press Ctrl+e (or choose Evaluate from the Compute menu) to evaluate the integral.

   
   
   
    

   The program automatically places an equal sign between the original expression and the result of the integration. You can use the result of the integration or the original expression itself in subsequent work by selecting the entire expression or some portion thereof. You can perform standard Windows(r) Copy and Paste operations on the expressions as well. You can also save selected math, text, or graphic objects as fragments so that you can recall them for later use.

2. Scientific WorkPlace and Scientific Notebook deduce choices based on familiar notation. In typical symbolic systems, you must use distinct functions to execute the same operation on distinct data types. For example, to factor an integer using one of these other computation systems, you must use the operator ifactor, but to factor a polynomial, you must use the operator factor. In contrast, Scientific WorkPlace and Scientific Notebook examine the object of a particular operation and respond appropriately. To illustrate, you can factor the integer 12345 and the polynomial using the same Compute menu option, Factor.
   
    

3. With the use of natural interface for both input and output in Scientific WorkPlace and Scientific Notebook, you can select portions of an expression to which you can apply subsequent operations. In contrast, typical computation systems force you to extract and manipulate portions of an expression using special commands. We illustrate this by selecting a portion of an expression to evaluate and having the results replace the selection. This very useful feature is called "computing in place." If you select the rational expression inside the integral

   
    

   and then hold down the Ctrl key and choose Partial Fractions from the Compute/Calculus submenu, this expression becomes

   
   
    

    

   While the expression is still selected, you can click the parentheses icon , or type Ctrl+9. The expression then becomes

   
   
   

   Product Philosophy
   
    

   Scientific WorkPlace, Scientific Word, and Scientific Notebook are designed to increase productivity for anyone who writes technical documents, especially those containing mathematics. They are perfect for writers in all technical fields: mathematics, physics, engineering, chemistry, computer science, economics, finance, statistics, medical research, operations research, logic, and more.

   Logical Design Separates Content and Appearance

   Our approach, known as logical design, separates the creative process of writing from the mechanical process of formatting. You apply tags to text to say what the text is; the software handles the job of formatting it. Logical design leads to a more consistent and attractive document appearance because choices of fonts, spacing, emphasis, and other aspects of format are applied automatically. Separating the processes of creating and formatting a document combines the best of the online and print worlds. You concentrate on writing a correct paper; our software makes it a beautiful paper. Scientific WorkPlace and Scientific Word come with over 150 predefined document shells. Over 20 shells are available with Scientific Notebook.

   Logical Design Is a New Way of Working

   When you use a WYSIWYG system, you constantly give commands that affect the appearance of the content. You select text and then choose a font, a font size, or a typeface. You apply alignment commands such as center, left justify, and right justify. To center an equation, for example, you select it and choose the center alignment. In a logical system, formatting commands are replaced by commands that define the logical structure of the content instead of its appearance. Rather than center text, you create a title, a section head, or a displayed equation by applying tags to information in the document. The format of the title, the alignment of section heads, and the alignment of displayed equations are all determined separately by the properties of the tags you use. In Scientific WorkPlace and Scientific Word, tag properties are determined by the document's typesetting specifications (a collection of commands that define the way the document appears when you produce it with LaTeX typesetting) and by the style (a collection of commands that define the way the document appears onscreen and when you produce it without LaTeX typesetting.) In Scientific Notebook, the tag properties are determined by the style only, since it does not include LaTeX typesetting.

   Also, WYSIWYG systems divide documents into pages according to their anticipated appearance in print. To see an entire line, you often have to scroll horizontally because the screen dimensions and page dimensions do not match. In a logical system, working with pages is unnecessary, because the division of a document into pages has no connection to the document's logical structure. Thus, on the screen Scientific WorkPlace, Scientific Word, and Scientific Notebook break lines to fit the window. If you resize the window, the text is reshaped to fit it.

   Logical Design Ensures a Beautiful Document Appearance

   Our emphasis on logical structure does not ignore the fact that documents must still be printed in a readable, organized, and visually pleasing format, nor does it ignore the fact that you may not always need publication-quality output. With Version 4 and later of Scientific WorkPlace and Scientific Word, you can preview and print your documents in two ways. You can compile, preview, and print your documents with LaTeX to obtain a high-quality, typeset appearance, or you can preview and direct print without typesetting for a near-WYSIWYG appearance. With Scientific Notebook, only direct printing is available.

Algebra Systems

A computer algebra system, or CAS, is a mathematics engine that performs the symbolic computations fundamental to algebra, trigonometry, and calculus. Recent versions of Scientific WorkPlace and Scientific Notebook (after Version 4.1 Build 2347) include the kernel to the computer algebra system MuPAD®. Earlier versions included a Maple 5.1 kernal

With MuPAD, you can evaluate, factor, combine, expand, and simplify terms and expressions that contain integers, fractions, and real and complex numbers, as required in simple arithmetic and algebra. You can also evaluate integrals and derivatives, perform matrix and vector operations, find standard deviations, and perform many other more complex computations involved in calculus, linear algebra, differential equations, and statistics. Additionally, you can create 2D and 3D plots of polynomials, trigonometric functions, and exponentials, and you can create animated 2D and 3D plots and explore them with the MuPAD VCAM window.

Examples

 

You can use MuPAD to solve the following kinds of problems in Scientific WorkPlace and Scientific Notebook. Roll the mouse over the mathematics to see the solution to each problem.

Arithmetic

Evaluate

Factor

Evaluate

Evaluate

Evaluate Numerically

Simplify

Factor

Algebra

Expand

Factor

Solve , Solution is:

Calculus

Evaluate

Evaluate

Evaluate

Evaluate

Evaluate the Determinant of , determinant:

Statistics

Determine the Mean of , Mean(s):

Determine the Standard Deviation of , Standard deviation(s):

Plots and Animated Plots

You can create plots like these with Scientific WorkPlace and Scientific Notebook:

2D Plots

• 2D Rectangular Plots

Plot 2D + Rectangular:

• Piecewise-Defined Functions

Plot 2D + Rectangular

• Bar Charts

Enter, select, and drag to a 2D Rectangular plot each of the following:

• Grids

You can create a grid using point plots. Enter, select with the mouse, and drag each of the following to the frame:

Animated 2D Plots

• Animated 2D Rectangular Plot

Plot 2D Animated + Rectangular:

Enter, select, and drag to the frame each of the following:

,

3D Plots

• 3D Rectangular Plots

Plot 3D + Rectangular:

• 3D Implicit Plots

Plot 3D + Implicit:

Animated 3D Plots

• Animated 3D Rectangular Plot

Plot 3D Animated + Rectangular

Features and Capabilities of MuPAD

 

MuPAD Version. This version of Scientific WorkPlace and Scientific Notebook includes the MuPAD 3.1 kernel. We have created an interface to the kernel to make MuPAD easy to use with Scientific WorkPlace and Scientific Notebook. In addition, the system accepts input and creates output using natural mathematical notation, the basis for our scientific word processors. Performing computations in Scientific WorkPlace and Scientific Notebook is easy.

Computational Functions. Scientific WorkPlace and Scientific Notebook provide a wide range of the graphic, numeric, and symbolic computational functions available with MuPAD. The programs provide ample functionality for both simple and sophisticated mathematical computations involving calculus, ODE, matrix manipulations, statistics, linear algebra, and 2D and 3D plots. Also, you can access additional functions available to MuPAD—even if they don't appear as items on the Compute menu—with the Define MuPAD Name menu item.

Animated Plots. With MuPAD, you can create a variety of animated plots: animated 2D plots in polar coordinates, animated 2D and 3D plots in rectangular coordinates, animated 2D and 3D implicit plots, and animated 3D tube plots in cylindrical and spherical coordinates and vector fields. You can rotate, move, zoom in and out, and fly through 3D plots.

User-defined Functions. With MuPAD, you can create user-defined functions (.mu files) with an ASCII editor, even if you don't have access to a full MuPAD installation. The files are easy to manipulate and are powerful tools for users interested in programming. Working in a Scientific WorkPlace or Scientific Notebook document, you call the function with the Define MuPAD Name command.

Available Functions. While Scientific WorkPlace and Scientific Notebook provide many functions available with MuPAD, not all capabilities are included. Programming packages, certain plot types and options (especially animated plots), and manipulation of the position of highlights and shadows in 3D plots aren't available. Scientific Notebook doesn't have 3D implicit plotting with either CAS. Additionally, some limitations exist regarding the placement of text on plots and the use of different types of plots on the same graph. Iteration and condition commands (such as if, elif, else, fi, for, while, do, and od) aren't available.