We
call our interactive mathematical web pages: Mathwright Microworlds.
We use the term: Microworld in the sense that Seymour Papert did when
he, in his groundbreaking book: Mindstorms, Children,
Computers, and Powerful Ideas, discussed the possibilities
of an emerging synergy between computer environments and mathematical pedagogy.
These thoughts were couched in the discussion of Logo,
a computer language designed to elicit questions, and to promote learning
by playing.
The
Logo Playground is a 6-page Microworld that illustrates
these themes by creating its own command language, a dialect of classic Logo.
In this dialect, you may create as many turtles as you like, and move them
around simultaneously under the control of your programs. We provide a programming
environment that, along with Mathscript (see the Mathscript Authors' toolkit)
will allow readers to write large and sophisticated Logo programs.
The
Microworld features a new capability of Mathwright (available since version
2.10, May 12, 2003) that makes use of Windows Help to give pop-up information
about each page if the reader desires it.
Requires
the Java MathwrightWeb ActiveX Control to read in your Browser.
For
proper viewing, be sure to use Version
2.10 or later, dated May 12, 2003
Download free MathwrightWeb
to view Microworlds in your browser, then press
Library
members, download the free Mathwright32
Reader, then press
For proper viewing, be sure to use Version 2.10 or later, dated May 12, 2003
Microworld: Mathwright
Logo Playground
Click the Hyperlink above
to visit the Microworld.
Author:
James White
This
6 page Microworld contains a small command language that you may use to program
environments that contain as many logo turtles as you like, each with their
distinguished, and changeable attributes. That command language is embedded
in Mathscript, and so you may extend it with our over 300 Mathscript Commands,
functions, and Protocols to do some interesting things. You may learn about
all of these in the Mathscript Author's ToolKit on the second page of the
chapter: Mathematical Objects and Commands, or play with a few of them on
the Command Line introductory page of that Microworld.
Mathscript
is an object-oriented language, and a logo turtle is an "object"
for anyone's money. The Microworld opens with seven turtles called: Ben, Tom,
Tim, Bill, Jack, Jill and Bob. You can distinguish them by fill color and
outline.
The
yellow graph2D window is also an object with many properties. You may change
its properties by right-clicking on it to get the menu. For example under
Settings, you may place a Cartesian coordinate system, or a Polar coordinate
system on the screen. Under Actions, if you select: Show trace bar, then you
may zoom-in and out for a closer look or trace coordinates on the screen.
Experiment!
Once
you download our free Mathwright32 Reader above, then simply click
Get This Microworld, and it will be downloaded to your machine and
installed in a directory there. You may find it whenever you want to view
it, by going to the Start, Programs, Mathwright32 Reader menu.
To
visit our Microworlds in your browser, it must be able to read ActiveX
controls. Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 Browser (or later)
is so equipped. You should check that the Security Settings under Tools,
Internet Options, Security for the Internet, Custom Level has:
-
"Run ActiveX Controls and Plugins" set either to enable or prompt.
-
"Initialize and Script ActiveX Controls not marked as safe" set either to enable or prompt.
Return to the listing of MathwrightWeb Microworlds
| - James E. White, Ph.D. , Library Director, | ||
| author of this website, Mathwright 2000, MindScapes, | ||
| MathwrightWeb, and Mathwright32 |
