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THE MATHWRIGHT LIBRARY NEWSLETTER, April 2002, VOL
4, #3
A publication of Bluejay Lispware
James E. White, Editor
The official publication of the New Mathwright Library and Café:
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In this issue:
Get our free Version 2.0 MathwrightWeb Control and enter the world of 3D Graphics
1) 3D Graphics for Everybody!
Who
needs 3D Graphics? If you think of your computer as a source of ideas (and
not only facts), as a heuristic machine that speaks directly to your imagination,
then you do! Mathwright Microworlds and Interactive Web Books are first about
visualization. They aim to help the reader visualize mathematical ideas and
constructions by placing her in an arena in which she can participate in an
active way in bringing them to life. Thus, readers ask "what if"
questions, follow their hunches, and see simulations and animations that show
them the answers to their own questions.
We
are therefore very proud to announce that, at long last, we can bring the
genius of OpenGL graphics to the support of visualization in our Microworlds.
To enter the third dimension, please download our free Version
2.0 ActiveX Control and install it over your present one, and then sit
back and enjoy. You will see some astonishingly realistic simulations both
in your browser and off line in Mathwright32 as a result. For starters, we
recommend you visit our two new Microworlds: Tactic:
3D Tic-Tac-Toe, and Spherical Logo.
Remember
Solitaire? Well, Tactic will blow you away. Tactic is a game of 4x4x4 Tic-Tac-Toe
that demonstrates the power of game theory. Tic-Tac-Toe is a game of "perfect
information." Nothing is hidden, and chance is not a factor. It requires
only pure thought to play well. The computer uses a purely mathematical strategy
that is explained to you, and then gives virtuoso performances that lend the
illusion of "artificial intelligence." But the real intelligence
is in its ability to let you rotate the game board, or "fly through it"
to change your point of view, so that you can plan your next move against
it. 3D graphics brings each game to life in a way that you have to see to
believe.
Next,
meet Terra, our 3 Dimensional logo turtle who lives in a globe. She will teach
you a few of the mysteries of spherical geometry in the context of logo, the
language that can teach computational logic and geometry to children by letting
them (you guessed it) ask "what if" questions. Ask your own "what
if" questions to Terra, and you will learn a little Riemannian Geometry.
Our MathScript
language now contains a large interactive subset of OpenGL that will let you
create implicit or parametric surfaces, space curves, any geometry you like,
or import 3D models (like Terra) from DirectX format. Authors can place these
objects in a "scene" and then you may move them around, either individually
or collectively, with our suite of stage directions. Watch for some exciting
new Microworlds at the Library in your browser that will show you new worlds
of mathematical visualization.
James E. White, Ph.D.
Library Director