Mailman 3 December 2012 - Edu-sig

Re: [Edu-sig] Edu-sig Digest, Vol 113, Issue 12
by Marianne McKenna 25 Dec '12

25 Dec '12

I will be out of the office for the holiday break. I will be checking email periodically and will respond as soon as I can. If you need immediate help please contact the computer center. Thanks.

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generate digits of pi
by Kirby Urner 24 Dec '12

24 Dec '12

I'm taking the liberty of reposting this generator supplied by Pythonista michel paul on Math Future. He's not the author though. def pi_digits(n): k, a, b, a1, b1 = 2, 4, 1, 12, 4 while n>0: p, q, k = k*k, 2*k+1, k+1 a, b, a1, b1 = a1, b1, p*a+q*a1, p*b+q*b1 d, d1 = a/b, a1/b1 while d == d1: yield int(d) n -= 1 a, a1 = 10*(a%b), 10*(a1%b1) d, d1 = a/b, a1/b1 More context: https://groups.google.com/d/msg/mathfuture/LA0pMPC6-HE/MBGWxn4ENsUJ Kirby

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Re: [Edu-sig] Edu-sig Digest, Vol 113, Issue 11
by Marianne McKenna 24 Dec '12

24 Dec '12

I will be out of the office for the holiday break. I will be checking email periodically and will respond as soon as I can. If you need immediate help please contact the computer center. Thanks.

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Re: [Edu-sig] Edu-sig Digest, Vol 113, Issue 9
by Marianne McKenna 23 Dec '12

23 Dec '12

I will be out of the office for the holiday break. I will be checking email periodically and will respond as soon as I can. If you need immediate help please contact the computer center. Thanks.

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Re: [Edu-sig] Edu-sig Digest, Vol 113, Issue 8
by Marianne McKenna 23 Dec '12

23 Dec '12

I will be out of the office for the holiday break. I will be checking email periodically and will respond as soon as I can. If you need immediate help please contact the computer center. Thanks.

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docs.tutorial function example - too complicated
by Jurgis Pralgauskis 17 Dec '12

17 Dec '12

Hi, currently more and more schools are trying Py, so studens read tutorial docs from time to time... and one of main programming (architecture) subjects starts with quite a mathematical and unpractical example.. http://docs.python.org/3/tutorial/controlflow.html#defining-functions It's like teaching to pilot airplane, prior to bicycle and car :) I'd propose some simple examples at first: like in http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Non-Programmer%27s_Tutorial_for_Python_3/Defin… or http://www.cplusplus.com/doc/tutorial/functions/ def greeting( person ): print( "Hello", person ) def add(a, b): result = a+b return result z = add(3, 5) # could aslso graphically show, how data (arguments/results) travel # as in C++ example def absolute_value(n): if n < 0: n = -n return n def count_down( n ): while n > 0: print( n ) n = n-1 def average( mylist ): return sum(mylist) / len(mylist) def decide_on_scholarship( marks ): avg = average(marks) if avg > 9.5: return 1000 elif avg >= 8: return 200 else: return 0 Maybe there is some other list, where it would be more appropriate to discuss this? -- Jurgis Pralgauskis tel: 8-616 77613; Don't worry, be happy and make things better ;) http://galvosukykla.lt

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Re: [Edu-sig] Codecademy
by roberto 10 Dec '12

10 Dec '12

Does it run on iPads too ? On Monday, December 10, 2012, Aakash Prasad wrote: > Hi Roberto, > > Give LearnStreet a try! We are newer but we've gotten feedback from users > indicating our courses are better than CodeCademy's and Udacity's. > > Thanks > > Aakash > On Dec 10, 2012 12:51 AM, "roberto" <roberto03(a)gmail.com<javascript:_e({}, 'cvml', 'roberto03(a)gmail.com');>> > wrote: > >> Hello, is there anyone who gave a try to >> http://www.codecademy.com/tracks/python ? >> >> What do you think about it ? >> I'd like to start using it with a few youngster passioned about coding. >> >> Thank you. >> >> -- >> Roberto >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Edu-sig mailing list >> Edu-sig(a)python.org <javascript:_e({}, 'cvml', 'Edu-sig(a)python.org');> >> http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig >> >> -- Roberto

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Codecademy
by roberto 10 Dec '12

10 Dec '12

Hello, is there anyone who gave a try to http://www.codecademy.com/tracks/python ? What do you think about it ? I'd like to start using it with a few youngster passioned about coding. Thank you. -- Roberto

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Thoughts about upgrading our python.org page
by kirby urner 03 Dec '12

03 Dec '12

Proposal to upgrade: http://www.python.org/community/sigs/current/edu-sig/ Probably it's time to mention some new projects. Examples: http://www.pythontutor.com/ http://www.skulpt.org/ http://www.raspberrypi.org/ http://arduino.cc/playground/Interfacing/Python That's not meant to be an exhaustive list. I notice there's no mention of Sugar, which is old news by now: http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Sugar Note that all of these are on the same level. Ipython http://ivory.idyll.org/blog/teaching-with-ipynb-2.html Fitting all these into a new narrative might take awhile. I think edu-sig would be a great page on which to exercise diplomacy in the sense of linking to similar pages devoted to other languages. We are sympathetic to Mathematica, not averse. Also to J and Haskell, no question. These are great projects, open or no. We do advertise the advantages of open without apology, but that doesn't require withholding admiration for some closed source projects. We're not bigots. Kirby

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more in the "Rich Data Structure" series
by kirby urner 03 Dec '12

03 Dec '12

""" Quantum Field Theory: Skeletal draft of objects Rich Data Series To help with studies, students learning Python might bend its notation to help them wrap their heads around this and that. Here's a module I've been working on after listening to Sean Carroll's ISEPP lecture in Portland last night (isepp.org). Write-up: http://worldgame.blogspot.com/2012/11/isepp-physics-lecture.html I haven't double checked everything as the primary idea is to get across the idea. People will role their own. These are more in the way of doodles at this point, minus much of anything to hold it together. Slapping it out there as open source. If you fix a broken bit, fork a new version, take it as inspiration to start from scratch, feel free to add your name to the list of contributors. Many of you have already. My thanks to the Wikipedia articles and other authors I read and/or listened to or otherwise appreciated. Other Rich Data Structure stuff http://mail.python.org/pipermail/edu-sig/2005-November/005533.html http://www.mail-archive.com/edu-sig@python.org/msg02457.html http://mybizmo.blogspot.com/2008/01/rich-data-structures.html K. Urner edu-sig """ ANTI = True class Fermion(): """fractional spin, Fermi-Dirac statistics""" spin = 1/2 # J class Boson(): """whole number spin, Bose-Einstein statistics""" spin = 0 # may override in subclass to 1 or 2 (Higgs) class Field: pass class Strong(Field): """ quantum chromodynamics """ def __init__(self, anti=False): self.anti = anti if anti: self.color = "anti-" + self.color # reverse color if anti-particle class ElectroWeak(Field): """ quantum electrodynamics """ def __init__(self, anti=False): self.anti = anti if anti: self.charge = -self.charge # reverse charge if anti-particle # Quarks: 6 with oppositely charged pairs = 12, each with 3 colors = 36 permutations class Quark(Fermion, Strong, ElectroWeak): """ Meson = Quark + Quark Baryon = Quark + Quark + Quark (e.g. proton, neutron) """ def __init__(self, color, anti=False): color = color.lower() if color not in ["blue", "red", "green"]: raise ValueError Strong.__init__(self, anti) ElectroWeak.__init__(self, anti) # reverse charge if anti class Up(Quark): mass = 2.4 # m Mev/c2 charge = 2/3 # Q class Down(Quark): mass = 4.4 charge = -1/3 class Charm(Quark): mass = 1320 charge = 2/3 class Strange(Quark): mass = 87 charge = -1/3 class Top(Quark): mass = 172700 charge = 2/3 class Bottom(Quark): mass = 4240 charge = -1/3 # Gauge Bosons class W(Boson, ElectroWeak): mass = 80387 charge = 1 spin = 1 class Z(Boson, ElectroWeak): mass = 91187.6 charge = 0 spin = 1 class Photon(Boson, ElectroWeak): mass = 0 charge = 0 class Gluon(Boson, Strong): spin = 1 # overrides attribute of Boson mass = 0 charge = 0 def __init__(self, color, anticolor): self.color = coler self.anticolor = anticolor # Higgs Boson class Higgs(Boson): spin = 2 # overrides attribute of Boson mass = 125000 charge = 0 # Leptons (6 + 6 anti = 12) class Electron(Fermion, ElectroWeak): mass = 0.511 charge = -1 class Tau(Fermion, ElectroWeak): mass = 1776.82 charge = -1 class Muon(Fermion, ElectroWeak): mass = 105.7 charge = -1 # masses are superpositional class Neutrino_E(Electron): mass = .0022 charge = 0 class Neutrino_T(Tau): mass = 0.17 charge = 0 class Neutrino_M(Muon): mass = 15.5 charge = 0 # Hadrons (composed of 2 or 3 quarks, or "exotic" if more (not confirmed) class Baryon(Fermion, Strong, ElectroWeak): pass class Nucleon(Baryon): """Baryon -- one of two kinds of Hadron""" class Proton(Nucleon): """ Up("blue") + Up("red") + Down("green") Proton() + Electron() -> Neutron() + Neutrino_E() """ mass = 938.27 charge = 1 class Neutron(Nucleon): """ Down("green") + Down("red") + Up("blue") Neutron() -> Proton() + Electron() + Neutrino_E(ANTI) """ mass = 939.57 charge = 0 class Sigma(Baryon): """ Have two Ups or two Downs, and one something else (charm, strange, bottom, top -- tops are too fast) """ pass class Omega(Baryon): """ Have no Up or Down quarks """ class Lambda(Baryon): """ One Up, One Down, and one something else """ class Xi(Baryon): """ One up or down + two heavier quarks """ class Delta(Baryon): """ up and down quarks only, spin 3/2 vs. nucleon 1/2 Decay into nucleon + pion in short order """ mass = 1232 class Meson(Boson, Strong, ElectroWeak): """ Meson -- the other kind of Hadron besides Baryon Unstable. Charged -> electrons + neutrinos, Uncharged -> photons Flavorless (quarkonium): quark + anti-quark of same type Flavorful: quark + anti-quark of different type """ class D(Meson): """Flavorful with charm""" class B(Meson): """Flavorful with charm""" class Upsilon(Meson): """Flavorless with bottom (bottomonium, a form of quarkonium)""" mass = 9460 spin = 1 class JPsi(Meson): """Flavorless with charm (excited charmonium)""" pass class Pion(Meson): """ Up() + Down(ANTI) charge = 1 --> 99.9877% Muon(ANTI) + Neutrino_M(), .0123% Electron(ANTI) + Neutrino_E Up() + Up(ANTI) or Down() + Down(ANTI) charge = 0 Down() + Up(ANTI) charge = -1 --> 99.9877% Muon() + Neutrino_M(ANTI), .0123% Electron() + Neutrino_E(ANTI) """ mass = 139.57 # if charged, else 135 parity = -1 class Rho(Meson): mass = 770 class Phi(Meson): """ Flavorless with strange """ mass = 1019.4 charge = 0 # 3 states class Kaon(Meson): # K Mesons """ Four types Flavorful: Strange() + Up() or Down() """ charge = 1 mass = 493.7 if charge == (1 or -1) else 497.6 class Eta(Meson): charge = 0

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