From kirby.urner at gmail.com  Wed Jun  1 22:52:29 2011
From: kirby.urner at gmail.com (kirby urner)
Date: Wed, 1 Jun 2011 13:52:29 -0700
Subject: [Edu-sig] egyptian fractions...
Message-ID: <BANLkTik7ajikuvLiZtYo-Y8Qv=m5g-dopQ@mail.gmail.com>

Hey Jeff, your question about controlling the turtle's screen
might have been just the ticket in my attempts to control
chaos, namely G. Lingl's chaos.py, which demonstrates
sensitivity to initial conditions is a plus if you want your
algebra to stay on the same page as itself, per equalities
that won't be equal in the real world.  I'm hoping to throw
that into site-packages on the back end at OST, along with
all those baseball stats in SQL.  It's all done with turtles
(Gregor's thing) and is brilliant, here's a link:

http://www.4dsolutions.net/ocn/python/OST/chaos.py

What I've been up to lately, besides teaching Python 24/7,
is debating with the Egyptologists whether computer science
really has an algorithm for "Egyptian Fractions".  Milo is
arguing it doesn't and the consensus seems to be with
him for now.  Fibonacci published what's today often called
"the greedy algorithm" (though that's more the genre than
the specimen) and I'm including that in Python below.

At first I though my job would be to subclass the Fraction
class in fractions, delegating the nuts and bolts to an
internal Fraction but adding this .egyptian( ) method
(really pseudo).  With that in mind, I storyboarded this
science fiction session (not yet real) which is another
way of saying I applied the "agile" principle of "test
driven development":

>>> from unitfractions import Fraction
>>> p = Fraction(5,121)
>>> type(p)
<class 'unitfractions.Fraction'>
>>> p
Fraction(5, 121)
>>> r = p.egyptian( )  # pseudo-egyptian results of Fibonacci-published
algorithm
>>> r
(Fraction(1,25), Fraction(1,757), Fraction(1,763309),
Fraction(1,873960180913), Fraction(1,1527612795642093418846225))
>>> sum(r)
Fraction(5, 121)

I later decided there was no point trying to maintain the
appearance of a whole new class, and that existing
Fraction objects should just be fed to this greedy algorithm
directly, giving a tuple of Fraction outputs.

Not much code involved.  Keep it Simple (another
"agile" precept).

>From the original thread:

"""
On second thought, I think subclassing a fractions.Fraction is overkill.  As
soon
as said subclass participates in numeric relations with its fellow Fractions
(of the ordinary kind), it's going to spawn ordinary Fractions (ancestor
class).

Maintaining an entirely new type just for this one feature is not worth the
effort,
given likely arithmetic relations with peers.

Also, I'm not a huge fan of recursion where iteration is just as
straightforward.
In the case of Fibonacci's greedy algorithm, there's like nothing to it:

"""
OST Skunkworks:
Pseudo-Egyptian Fractions
See:
http://scienceblogs.com/goodmath/2006/11/egyptian_fractions.php
http://groups.google.com/group/mathfuture/browse_thread/thread/97511940cccd5016?hl=en
"""

from fractions import Fraction
from math import ceil

def greedy(q):
    """return unit fraction expansion of fractions.Fraction q,
    using Fibonacci's 'greedy algorithm' -- non-recursive"""

    results = []

    while q > 0:
        if q.numerator == 1:
            results.append(q)
            break
        x = Fraction(1,ceil(q.denominator / q.numerator))
        q = q - x
        results.append(x)
    return tuple(results)

def _test( ):
    """
    >>> greedy(Fraction(5,121))
    (Fraction(1, 25), Fraction(1, 757), Fraction(1, 763309), Fraction(1,
873960180913), Fraction(1, 1527612795642093418846225))
    >>> greedy(Fraction(4,5))
    (Fraction(1, 2), Fraction(1, 4), Fraction(1, 20))
    >>> greedy(Fraction(9,31))
    (Fraction(1, 4), Fraction(1, 25), Fraction(1, 3100))
    >>> greedy(Fraction(21,50))
    (Fraction(1, 3), Fraction(1, 12), Fraction(1, 300))
    >>> greedy(Fraction(1023, 1024))
    (Fraction(1, 2), Fraction(1, 3), Fraction(1, 7), Fraction(1, 44),
Fraction(1, 9462), Fraction(1, 373029888))
    """
    print("testing complete")

if __name__ == "__main__":
    import doctest
    doctest.testmod()
    _test()

Note that I'm calling these "pseudo Egyptian" -- not claiming there's any
simple
algorithmic solution that'll work best in all cases.  Computer scientists
and
Milo appear to be on the same side on this one.
"""

The threads on all this may be dredged up from an obscure Google
group named mathfuture, one of the Droujkova facilities, and as
usual productive.

Kirby
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From gregor.lingl at aon.at  Wed Jun  1 23:52:57 2011
From: gregor.lingl at aon.at (Gregor Lingl)
Date: Wed, 01 Jun 2011 23:52:57 +0200
Subject: [Edu-sig] (egyptian fractions...)  the turtle part: chaos.py
In-Reply-To: <BANLkTik7ajikuvLiZtYo-Y8Qv=m5g-dopQ@mail.gmail.com>
References: <BANLkTik7ajikuvLiZtYo-Y8Qv=m5g-dopQ@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <4DE6B4B9.7060604@aon.at>



Am 01.06.2011 22:52, schrieb kirby urner:
>
> Hey Jeff, your question about controlling the turtle's screen
> might have been just the ticket in my attempts to control
> chaos, namely G. Lingl's chaos.py, which demonstrates
> sensitivity to initial conditions is a plus if you want your
> algebra to stay on the same page as itself, per equalities
> that won't be equal in the real world.  I'm hoping to throw
> that into site-packages on the back end at OST, along with
> all those baseball stats in SQL.  It's all done with turtles
> (Gregor's thing) and is brilliant, here's a link:
>
> http://www.4dsolutions.net/ocn/python/OST/chaos.py
>
>
Hi Kirby,

it's fine that you "host" a slightly amended version of chaos.py
on your website.

The original file is part of the demo that ships with Python and
the turtledemo has been moved into  the Lib-directory of the
standard distribution.

Some of these demo-scripts suffer from (more or less minor :-) )
quirks or deficiencies and could be amended in this or that way.

I think that such amendments should go into Python 3.3. So if
you or anybody else have any ideas, complaints or - as shown here -
propositions or results, please let's discuss them, so the turtledemo
can obtain not only a demo- but also an enhaced educational value.

Best regards

Gregor



From gregor.lingl at aon.at  Wed Jun  1 23:37:58 2011
From: gregor.lingl at aon.at (Gregor Lingl)
Date: Wed, 01 Jun 2011 23:37:58 +0200
Subject: [Edu-sig] Anyone interested in discussing the turtle module?
In-Reply-To: <BANLkTikZCKirKyZjG0UxswvitZQBThTVZg@mail.gmail.com>
References: <BANLkTikZCKirKyZjG0UxswvitZQBThTVZg@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <4DE6B136.1010703@aon.at>

Hi Jeff,

I think Corey's solution is the canonical one and quite ok.

Just a few remarks concerning the your problem and the turtle module.

1. The present solution for the turtle.Screen() window was introduced by
Vern Ceder for the previous module (as far as I rembmber) and had to be
retained for upward compatibility reasons.

2. I'm also finding the inability of turtle.Screen() to take screen size 
arguments
a deficiency. So you could propose your idea to the python issue tracker
(or if  you prefer I could do this also). This will be relevant for 
Python 3.3 only
but I'm definitely interested to implement additions and amendments like 
this.
(According to the Python 3.3 release schedule, this must be done until
June. 23rd 2012 (!). This should be no problem.)

3. There is (at least) one more way to adjust the initial screensize, 
namely by
putting an appropriate entry into a turtle.cfg file. You can customize some
more properties with this file). See

22.1.6.3  How to configure Screen and Turtles in the Python-Docs:

http://docs.python.org/library/turtle.html#how-to-configure-screen-and-turtles

I used this for my book "Python f?r Kids" where I wanted a consistent 
appearance of the turtle window.

4. There are essentially only two classes to be used from the turtle 
Module.

So if you want to work object-based, it is possible to do this by

from turtle import Screen, Turtle

I found this to be a bit less verbose and also useful in order to avoid 
confusion of
module turtle and class Turtle. (I think to some degree this is a matter 
of taste)

5. Probably you will stumble about some other weird features of the 
module or
have some bright ideas for amendments or you will have some more questions
converning turtle.py. I'm definitely wanting to discuss these with you 
and others.
Perhaps we could arrive at a still better turtle module for Python 3.3.
(But please keep in mind the compatibility requirements for modules in the
standard library).

Best regards

Gregor Lingl

Am 31.05.2011 22:59, schrieb Jeff Elkner:
> Hi All,
>
> I'm working on an introductory CS book using Python with the turtle
> module, but I'm finding the inability of turtle.Screen() to take
> screen size arguments to be a real pain.  The screen size appears to
> depend on the screen size of the host environment, which means
> standardizing screen shots for the book becomes impossible.
>
> Any thoughts on this issue?  It would be a huge help in promoting
> Python's use in education if we could make use of such a potentially
> fine module as the turtle module, but I'm finding it very difficult to
> write curriculum materials that use it since students don't have
> control over the turtle's screen in any easy to use way.
>
> Thanks!
>
> jeff elkner
> open book project
> http://openbookproject.net
> _______________________________________________
> Edu-sig mailing list
> Edu-sig at python.org
> http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
>

From echerlin at gmail.com  Wed Jun  1 23:59:34 2011
From: echerlin at gmail.com (Edward Cherlin)
Date: Wed, 1 Jun 2011 17:59:34 -0400
Subject: [Edu-sig] (egyptian fractions...) the turtle part: chaos.py
In-Reply-To: <4DE6B4B9.7060604@aon.at>
References: <BANLkTik7ajikuvLiZtYo-Y8Qv=m5g-dopQ@mail.gmail.com>
	<4DE6B4B9.7060604@aon.at>
Message-ID: <BANLkTikv=N47i43LvpWWBXvbZwaU2K1xcg@mail.gmail.com>

On Wed, Jun 1, 2011 at 17:52, Gregor Lingl <gregor.lingl at aon.at> wrote:
>
>
> Am 01.06.2011 22:52, schrieb kirby urner:
>>
>> Hey Jeff, your question about controlling the turtle's screen
>> might have been just the ticket in my attempts to control
>> chaos, namely G. Lingl's chaos.py, which demonstrates
>> sensitivity to initial conditions is a plus if you want your
>> algebra to stay on the same page as itself, per equalities
>> that won't be equal in the real world. ?I'm hoping to throw
>> that into site-packages on the back end at OST, along with
>> all those baseball stats in SQL. ?It's all done with turtles
>> (Gregor's thing) and is brilliant, here's a link:

Baseball stats and turtles? That's something I have been wishing for.
I think that the best way to interest children in probability and
statistics is sports, including published data and the book Money
Ball. Also Nate Silver of the New York Times Five Thirty Eight blog,
one of the best analysts of political races (though not of policy),
started out in poker and sports.

I would like to see your work, and discuss with you and various other
people creating an OER with it in the Sugar Labs Replacing Textbooks
project.

>> http://www.4dsolutions.net/ocn/python/OST/chaos.py
>>
>>
> Hi Kirby,
>
> it's fine that you "host" a slightly amended version of chaos.py
> on your website.
>
> The original file is part of the demo that ships with Python and
> the turtledemo has been moved into ?the Lib-directory of the
> standard distribution.
>
> Some of these demo-scripts suffer from (more or less minor :-) )
> quirks or deficiencies and could be amended in this or that way.
>
> I think that such amendments should go into Python 3.3. So if
> you or anybody else have any ideas, complaints or - as shown here -
> propositions or results, please let's discuss them, so the turtledemo
> can obtain not only a demo- but also an enhaced educational value.
>
> Best regards
>
> Gregor
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Edu-sig mailing list
> Edu-sig at python.org
> http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
>



-- 
Edward Mokurai (??/???????????????/????????????? ?) Cherlin
Silent Thunder is my name, and Children are my nation.
The Cosmos is my dwelling place, the Truth my destination.
http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/Replacing_Textbooks

From kirby.urner at gmail.com  Thu Jun  2 00:34:39 2011
From: kirby.urner at gmail.com (kirby urner)
Date: Wed, 1 Jun 2011 15:34:39 -0700
Subject: [Edu-sig] (egyptian fractions...) the turtle part: chaos.py
In-Reply-To: <4DE6B4B9.7060604@aon.at>
References: <BANLkTik7ajikuvLiZtYo-Y8Qv=m5g-dopQ@mail.gmail.com>
	<4DE6B4B9.7060604@aon.at>
Message-ID: <BANLkTi=+hQ6n33Joxv1NOy-prhmJFDFNLA@mail.gmail.com>

On Wed, Jun 1, 2011 at 2:52 PM, Gregor Lingl <gregor.lingl at aon.at> wrote:

>
> Hi Kirby,
>
> it's fine that you "host" a slightly amended version of chaos.py
> on your website.
>
>
Thanks Gregor.  I've also got John Zelle's graphics.py in the docket.

Having any backend code is a somewhat new idea.  I'm trying
to keep a toe hold for Tk, as Eclipse is regarded as "heavy" and
if we didn't need widget programming, it'd probably be gone.

I think Tk widget programming is valuable exercise with many
transferable skills, for times when you're using other widget
libraries.  Gives important insights into IDLE as well, which
for better or worse is still what many use out of the box.

We had threads here earlier about dropping IDLE from the
standard distro and swapping in something for leading edge.  No
candidates came forward though, vindication of Tk in a lot
of ways (as a cross-platform solution).


> The original file is part of the demo that ships with Python and
> the turtledemo has been moved into  the Lib-directory of the
> standard distribution.
>
>
I've done very few experiments with turtles on the OST server.
None of the current Python track courses require it.  Tk, however,
is used.  In principle, the turtle stuff, including chaos, should run.

My problem is when I run chaos, I'm left with an open window
in the background that I can't seem to close.  This is launching
from inside Eclipse, which is usually pretty good with Tk
applications (a major focus in the 2nd course, mixed in with
SQL).



> Some of these demo-scripts suffer from (more or less minor :-) )
> quirks or deficiencies and could be amended in this or that way.
>
> I think that such amendments should go into Python 3.3. So if
> you or anybody else have any ideas, complaints or - as shown here -
> propositions or results, please let's discuss them, so the turtledemo
> can obtain not only a demo- but also an enhaced educational value.
>
>
I have no complaints.  Just wanting to keep Tk on life support, as an
aspect of a curriculum I'm helping shape.

If we use graphics.py, it'll probably to do some black and orange
brick patterns like in New Kind of Science (Wolfram).  I'm already
doing all 256 rules in "ascii art".  Quoting from a console:

import sys; print('%s %s' % (sys.executable or sys.platform, sys.version))
C:\Python\python.exe 3.1.1 (r311:74483, Aug 17 2009, 17:02:12) [MSC v.1500
32 bit (Intel)]
import ost
from ost.nks import *
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<console>", line 1, in <module>
  File "\\beam\software\Python4\site-packages\ost\nks.py", line 6, in
<module>
    from lifegame import Sensor
ImportError: No module named lifegame
import ost.lifegame
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<console>", line 1, in <module>
  File "\\beam\software\Python4\site-packages\ost\lifegame.py", line 8, in
<module>
    from farmworld import Farm, Tractor, wordplow
ImportError: No module named farmworld
import ost.farmworld
import ost.lifegame
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<console>", line 1, in <module>
  File "\\beam\software\Python4\site-packages\ost\lifegame.py", line 8, in
<module>
    from farmworld import Farm, Tractor, wordplow
ImportError: No module named farmworld

Getting nowhere here.  This is a student server and may not have my latest
commits to CVS.  Sorry...

Kirby


> Best regards
>
> Gregor
>
>
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From echerlin at gmail.com  Thu Jun  2 00:37:43 2011
From: echerlin at gmail.com (Edward Cherlin)
Date: Wed, 1 Jun 2011 18:37:43 -0400
Subject: [Edu-sig] Anyone interested in discussing the turtle module?
In-Reply-To: <BANLkTikZCKirKyZjG0UxswvitZQBThTVZg@mail.gmail.com>
References: <BANLkTikZCKirKyZjG0UxswvitZQBThTVZg@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <BANLkTin4nJTcu5TqWOcTJOP20WOKaD1f+w@mail.gmail.com>

On Tue, May 31, 2011 at 16:59, Jeff Elkner <jeff at elkner.net> wrote:
> Hi All,
>
> I'm working on an introductory CS book using Python with the turtle
> module,

Under what license?

Can we talk about using Turtle Art in Sugar as a starting point? it
can call Python functions assigned to blocks, providing an easy
transition from pure TA to pure Python. We have support for various
other CS topics on TA blocks, including stack operations. I am
planning to write a Turing machine in TA, using colored dots as cells
on the tape and instructions in the transition table.

> but I'm finding the inability of turtle.Screen() to take
> screen size arguments to be a real pain. ?The screen size appears to
> depend on the screen size of the host environment, which means
> standardizing screen shots for the book becomes impossible.
>
> Any thoughts on this issue? ?It would be a huge help in promoting
> Python's use in education if we could make use of such a potentially
> fine module as the turtle module, but I'm finding it very difficult to
> write curriculum materials that use it since students don't have
> control over the turtle's screen in any easy to use way.
>
> Thanks!
>
> jeff elkner
> open book project
> http://openbookproject.net
> _______________________________________________
> Edu-sig mailing list
> Edu-sig at python.org
> http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
>



-- 
Edward Mokurai (??/???????????????/????????????? ?) Cherlin
Silent Thunder is my name, and Children are my nation.
The Cosmos is my dwelling place, the Truth my destination.
http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/Replacing_Textbooks

From vceder at gmail.com  Thu Jun  2 00:41:06 2011
From: vceder at gmail.com (Vern Ceder)
Date: Wed, 1 Jun 2011 17:41:06 -0500
Subject: [Edu-sig] Anyone interested in discussing the turtle module?
In-Reply-To: <4DE6B136.1010703@aon.at>
References: <BANLkTikZCKirKyZjG0UxswvitZQBThTVZg@mail.gmail.com>
	<4DE6B136.1010703@aon.at>
Message-ID: <BANLkTi=LkaNF6fEfJ0waTxj_z10KdB_=3w@mail.gmail.com>

On Wed, Jun 1, 2011 at 4:37 PM, Gregor Lingl <gregor.lingl at aon.at> wrote:

> Hi Jeff,
>
> I think Corey's solution is the canonical one and quite ok.
>
> Just a few remarks concerning the your problem and the turtle module.
>
> 1. The present solution for the turtle.Screen() window was introduced by
> Vern Ceder for the previous module (as far as I rembmber) and had to be
> retained for upward compatibility reasons.
>

Indeed, I added that as a hack to give some ability to change screen size on
startup.


> 2. I'm also finding the inability of turtle.Screen() to take screen size
> arguments
> a deficiency. So you could propose your idea to the python issue tracker
> (or if  you prefer I could do this also). This will be relevant for Python
> 3.3 only
> but I'm definitely interested to implement additions and amendments like
> this.
> (According to the Python 3.3 release schedule, this must be done until
> June. 23rd 2012 (!). This should be no problem.)
>

I personally don't think that using turtle.Screen() is the way to go with
the new version of the turtle library, but it is handy to have it for older
examples.


> 3. There is (at least) one more way to adjust the initial screensize,
> namely by
> putting an appropriate entry into a turtle.cfg file. You can customize some
> more properties with this file). See
>
> 22.1.6.3  How to configure Screen and Turtles in the Python-Docs:
>
>
> http://docs.python.org/library/turtle.html#how-to-configure-screen-and-turtles
>
> I used this for my book "Python f?r Kids" where I wanted a consistent
> appearance of the turtle window.
>

This is what I used in our "TurtleLab" project that I showed some of you at
the 2010 PyCon... for the source of an earlier version, see
https://bitbucket.org/vceder/turtlelab/wiki/Home . I'm not actively
maintaining it, but my assistant Simon Ruiz has worked on it quite a bit, if
there's interest I'll get his latest version merged into the repository.

In general we've found the current turtle  library to be pretty flexible and
robust.

Cheers,
Vern


> 4. There are essentially only two classes to be used from the turtle
> Module.
>
> So if you want to work object-based, it is possible to do this by
>
> from turtle import Screen, Turtle
>
> I found this to be a bit less verbose and also useful in order to avoid
> confusion of
> module turtle and class Turtle. (I think to some degree this is a matter of
> taste)
>
> 5. Probably you will stumble about some other weird features of the module
> or
> have some bright ideas for amendments or you will have some more questions
> converning turtle.py. I'm definitely wanting to discuss these with you and
> others.
> Perhaps we could arrive at a still better turtle module for Python 3.3.
> (But please keep in mind the compatibility requirements for modules in the
> standard library).
>
> Best regards
>
> Gregor Lingl
>
> Am 31.05.2011 22:59, schrieb Jeff Elkner:
>
>  Hi All,
>>
>> I'm working on an introductory CS book using Python with the turtle
>> module, but I'm finding the inability of turtle.Screen() to take
>> screen size arguments to be a real pain.  The screen size appears to
>> depend on the screen size of the host environment, which means
>> standardizing screen shots for the book becomes impossible.
>>
>> Any thoughts on this issue?  It would be a huge help in promoting
>> Python's use in education if we could make use of such a potentially
>> fine module as the turtle module, but I'm finding it very difficult to
>> write curriculum materials that use it since students don't have
>> control over the turtle's screen in any easy to use way.
>>
>> Thanks!
>>
>> jeff elkner
>> open book project
>> http://openbookproject.net
>> _______________________________________________
>> Edu-sig mailing list
>> Edu-sig at python.org
>> http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
>>
>>  _______________________________________________
> Edu-sig mailing list
> Edu-sig at python.org
> http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
>



-- 
Vern Ceder
vceder at gmail.com, vceder at dogsinmotion.com
The Quick Python Book, 2nd Ed - http://bit.ly/bRsWDW
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From kurner at oreillyschool.com  Thu Jun  2 00:56:05 2011
From: kurner at oreillyschool.com (Kirby Urner)
Date: Wed, 1 Jun 2011 15:56:05 -0700
Subject: [Edu-sig] (egyptian fractions...) the turtle part: chaos.py
In-Reply-To: <BANLkTikv=N47i43LvpWWBXvbZwaU2K1xcg@mail.gmail.com>
References: <BANLkTik7ajikuvLiZtYo-Y8Qv=m5g-dopQ@mail.gmail.com>
	<4DE6B4B9.7060604@aon.at>
	<BANLkTikv=N47i43LvpWWBXvbZwaU2K1xcg@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <BANLkTimu06b02Oz0yr5naGOwFH5yntd9kw@mail.gmail.com>

On Wed, Jun 1, 2011 at 2:59 PM, Edward Cherlin <echerlin at gmail.com> wrote:

>
> Baseball stats and turtles? That's something I have been wishing for.
> I think that the best way to interest children in probability and
> statistics is sports, including published data and the book Money
> Ball. Also Nate Silver of the New York Times Five Thirty Eight blog,
> one of the best analysts of political races (though not of policy),
> started out in poker and sports.
>

Yes, I remember your interest.

Several of our courses touch on SQL here and there, and when it comes
to having some canned, pre-existing tables on the back end, I can
think of fewer richer data mines that the aggregating pool of
baseball stats.  I've floated this by other staff and know I have an
ally in one of the editors.  Question is:  are baseball stats available
for MySQL in some open source format, or locked up under lock
and key by proprietary dot com pay-per-view services?

In a Norman Rockwell future where America gives lip service to
appreciating education, there'd be no problem freely accessing all
these numbers, copying them to the home hard drive.  Maybe
this already exists.  I'm in the beginning stages.


>
> I would like to see your work, and discuss with you and various other
> people creating an OER with it in the Sugar Labs Replacing Textbooks
> project.
>
>
I'm trying to condense a lot of concepts into a dense compacted
set of modules that aren't too daunting to read, and that don't hide
a lot of functionality.  The metaphor of a Turtle has been replaced
with a Tractor in a field (ascii 2d matrix / array).  This isn't about
displacing turtle graphics, it's about creating an analogy that's
even simpler (more primitive).

Kirby
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From echerlin at gmail.com  Thu Jun  2 07:09:38 2011
From: echerlin at gmail.com (Edward Cherlin)
Date: Thu, 2 Jun 2011 01:09:38 -0400
Subject: [Edu-sig] (egyptian fractions...) the turtle part: chaos.py
In-Reply-To: <BANLkTimu06b02Oz0yr5naGOwFH5yntd9kw@mail.gmail.com>
References: <BANLkTik7ajikuvLiZtYo-Y8Qv=m5g-dopQ@mail.gmail.com>
	<4DE6B4B9.7060604@aon.at>
	<BANLkTikv=N47i43LvpWWBXvbZwaU2K1xcg@mail.gmail.com>
	<BANLkTimu06b02Oz0yr5naGOwFH5yntd9kw@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <BANLkTikqofHJcyx5nCb2LiTJYABK5mbL1A@mail.gmail.com>

On Wed, Jun 1, 2011 at 18:56, Kirby Urner <kurner at oreillyschool.com> wrote:
> On Wed, Jun 1, 2011 at 2:59 PM, Edward Cherlin <echerlin at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> Baseball stats and turtles? That's something I have been wishing for.
>> I think that the best way to interest children in probability and
>> statistics is sports, including published data and the book Money
>> Ball. Also Nate Silver of the New York Times Five Thirty Eight blog,
>> one of the best analysts of political races (though not of policy),
>> started out in poker and sports.
>
> Yes, I remember your interest.
> Several of our courses touch on SQL here and there, and when it comes
> to having some canned, pre-existing tables on the back end, I can
> think of fewer richer data mines that the aggregating pool of
> baseball stats. ?I've floated this by other staff and know I have an
> ally in one of the editors. ?Question is: ?are baseball stats available
> for MySQL in some open source format, or locked up under lock
> and key by proprietary dot com pay-per-view services?

Major League Baseball asserts copyright ownership over everything to
do with the American and National Leagues that has not passed into the
public domain. For books that means almost anything since 1922. I have
no idea who owns rights to the Negro League data and to the data from
other countries. I don't know the rules for databases in any detail,
although I have heard of court cases declaring that facts cannot be
copyrighted, only their specific expression, and that not always. You
can buy the complete set of data for US baseball, going back about 150
years, on a CD-ROM.

http://www.allprosoftware.com/sb/

has commercial products for seven sports, at $70 or so.

We would also need soccer and cricket, at least, which this US company
does not offer, and no doubt other sports and games. The Elo
international chess rating system is a major work. It has spun off
systems for many other tournament games. I have no idea who owns what
internationally, given the vast interlocking structure of
international governing bodies, leagues, and tournaments.

> In a Norman Rockwell future where America gives lip service to
> appreciating education, there'd be no problem freely accessing all
> these numbers, copying them to the home hard drive. ?Maybe
> this already exists. ?I'm in the beginning stages.

Some of it is unquestionably available.

>> I would like to see your work, and discuss with you and various other
>> people creating an OER with it in the Sugar Labs Replacing Textbooks
>> project.
>>
>
> I'm trying to condense a lot of concepts into a dense compacted
> set of modules that aren't too daunting to read, and that don't hide
> a lot of functionality. ?The metaphor of a Turtle has been replaced
> with a Tractor in a field (ascii 2d matrix / array).

Have you considered Unicode?

>?This isn't about
> displacing turtle graphics, it's about creating an analogy that's
> even simpler (more primitive).

It should still work for teaching many CS topics.

> Kirby

Have you ever looked at Befunge, a 2D programming language with a
mobile instruction pointer and instructions for changing its
direction? It has been described as "a cross between FORTH and
Lemmings." ^_^

-- 
Edward Mokurai (??/???????????????/????????????? ?) Cherlin
Silent Thunder is my name, and Children are my nation.
The Cosmos is my dwelling place, the Truth my destination.
http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/Replacing_Textbooks

From jeff at elkner.net  Thu Jun  2 14:05:55 2011
From: jeff at elkner.net (Jeff Elkner)
Date: Thu, 2 Jun 2011 08:05:55 -0400
Subject: [Edu-sig] Anyone interested in discussing the turtle module?
In-Reply-To: <BANLkTin4nJTcu5TqWOcTJOP20WOKaD1f+w@mail.gmail.com>
References: <BANLkTikZCKirKyZjG0UxswvitZQBThTVZg@mail.gmail.com>
	<BANLkTin4nJTcu5TqWOcTJOP20WOKaD1f+w@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <BANLkTikXer6=BjYOtjkEpRdfyr5eJzvu6w@mail.gmail.com>

Hi Edward,

The book is licensed under the GNU/FDL and is available here:

http://www.openbookproject.net/thinkcs

I'm very familiar with Turtle Art, since a college intern working with
me last Summer did a Sugar to Gnome port of it, which in now in the
debian repositories:

http://packages.debian.org/search?keywords=turtleart

This Summer we will work to get that into Fedora.

While as a classroom teacher I'm a huge fan of turtle art, Python's
own turtle module is the tool of choice for my current intro college
leve textbook project, since it runs on all major platforms and is
part of the Python standard library.

Thanks!

jeff elkner
open book project
http://openbookproject.net

On Wed, Jun 1, 2011 at 6:37 PM, Edward Cherlin <echerlin at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Tue, May 31, 2011 at 16:59, Jeff Elkner <jeff at elkner.net> wrote:
>> Hi All,
>>
>> I'm working on an introductory CS book using Python with the turtle
>> module,
>
> Under what license?
>
> Can we talk about using Turtle Art in Sugar as a starting point? it
> can call Python functions assigned to blocks, providing an easy
> transition from pure TA to pure Python. We have support for various
> other CS topics on TA blocks, including stack operations. I am
> planning to write a Turing machine in TA, using colored dots as cells
> on the tape and instructions in the transition table.
>
>> but I'm finding the inability of turtle.Screen() to take
>> screen size arguments to be a real pain. ?The screen size appears to
>> depend on the screen size of the host environment, which means
>> standardizing screen shots for the book becomes impossible.
>>
>> Any thoughts on this issue? ?It would be a huge help in promoting
>> Python's use in education if we could make use of such a potentially
>> fine module as the turtle module, but I'm finding it very difficult to
>> write curriculum materials that use it since students don't have
>> control over the turtle's screen in any easy to use way.
>>
>> Thanks!
>>
>> jeff elkner
>> open book project
>> http://openbookproject.net
>> _______________________________________________
>> Edu-sig mailing list
>> Edu-sig at python.org
>> http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
>>
>
>
>
> --
> Edward Mokurai (??/???????????????/????????????? ?) Cherlin
> Silent Thunder is my name, and Children are my nation.
> The Cosmos is my dwelling place, the Truth my destination.
> http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/Replacing_Textbooks
>

From echerlin at gmail.com  Thu Jun  2 18:24:27 2011
From: echerlin at gmail.com (Edward Cherlin)
Date: Thu, 2 Jun 2011 12:24:27 -0400
Subject: [Edu-sig] Anyone interested in discussing the turtle module?
In-Reply-To: <BANLkTikXer6=BjYOtjkEpRdfyr5eJzvu6w@mail.gmail.com>
References: <BANLkTikZCKirKyZjG0UxswvitZQBThTVZg@mail.gmail.com>
	<BANLkTin4nJTcu5TqWOcTJOP20WOKaD1f+w@mail.gmail.com>
	<BANLkTikXer6=BjYOtjkEpRdfyr5eJzvu6w@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <BANLkTinnAu83rH6ZsUuKC+J3XFShnV=SZA@mail.gmail.com>

On Thu, Jun 2, 2011 at 08:05, Jeff Elkner <jeff at elkner.net> wrote:
> Hi Edward,
>
> The book is licensed under the GNU/FDL and is available here:
>
> http://www.openbookproject.net/thinkcs

Excellent. Thank you.

> I'm very familiar with Turtle Art, since a college intern working with
> me last Summer did a Sugar to Gnome port of it, which in now in the
> debian repositories:
>
> http://packages.debian.org/search?keywords=turtleart
>
> This Summer we will work to get that into Fedora.

I should talk to someone about getting it into Ubuntu, to add to Logo,
kturtleart, and the turtle art module in Etoys. ^_^

> While as a classroom teacher I'm a huge fan of turtle art, Python's
> own turtle module is the tool of choice for my current intro college
> leve textbook project, since it runs on all major platforms and is
> part of the Python standard library.

I am planning a multi-year grade school sequence to introduce CS ideas
using TA, with a transition from TA to Python by way of Python blocks
in TA. I will take a look at your work, and see whether it makes sense
to treat it as a followup to mine, or rather to design mine to lead
into yours.

Among the topics I intend to emphasize are Church's Thesis, G?del
recursive functions, parse trees, stack programming (and hence RPN),
language interpretation, and building a Turing Machine in pure TA.

> Thanks!
>
> jeff elkner
> open book project
> http://openbookproject.net
>
> On Wed, Jun 1, 2011 at 6:37 PM, Edward Cherlin <echerlin at gmail.com> wrote:
>> On Tue, May 31, 2011 at 16:59, Jeff Elkner <jeff at elkner.net> wrote:
>>> Hi All,
>>>
>>> I'm working on an introductory CS book using Python with the turtle
>>> module,
>>
>> Under what license?
>>
>> Can we talk about using Turtle Art in Sugar as a starting point? it
>> can call Python functions assigned to blocks, providing an easy
>> transition from pure TA to pure Python. We have support for various
>> other CS topics on TA blocks, including stack operations. I am
>> planning to write a Turing machine in TA, using colored dots as cells
>> on the tape and instructions in the transition table.
>>
>>> but I'm finding the inability of turtle.Screen() to take
>>> screen size arguments to be a real pain. ?The screen size appears to
>>> depend on the screen size of the host environment, which means
>>> standardizing screen shots for the book becomes impossible.
>>>
>>> Any thoughts on this issue? ?It would be a huge help in promoting
>>> Python's use in education if we could make use of such a potentially
>>> fine module as the turtle module, but I'm finding it very difficult to
>>> write curriculum materials that use it since students don't have
>>> control over the turtle's screen in any easy to use way.
>>>
>>> Thanks!
>>>
>>> jeff elkner
>>> open book project
>>> http://openbookproject.net
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Edu-sig mailing list
>>> Edu-sig at python.org
>>> http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Edward Mokurai (??/???????????????/????????????? ?) Cherlin
>> Silent Thunder is my name, and Children are my nation.
>> The Cosmos is my dwelling place, the Truth my destination.
>> http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/Replacing_Textbooks
>>
>



-- 
Edward Mokurai (??/???????????????/????????????? ?) Cherlin
Silent Thunder is my name, and Children are my nation.
The Cosmos is my dwelling place, the Truth my destination.
http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/Replacing_Textbooks

From jeff at elkner.net  Thu Jun  2 19:49:01 2011
From: jeff at elkner.net (Jeff Elkner)
Date: Thu, 2 Jun 2011 13:49:01 -0400
Subject: [Edu-sig] Anyone interested in discussing the turtle module?
In-Reply-To: <BANLkTinnAu83rH6ZsUuKC+J3XFShnV=SZA@mail.gmail.com>
References: <BANLkTikZCKirKyZjG0UxswvitZQBThTVZg@mail.gmail.com>
	<BANLkTin4nJTcu5TqWOcTJOP20WOKaD1f+w@mail.gmail.com>
	<BANLkTikXer6=BjYOtjkEpRdfyr5eJzvu6w@mail.gmail.com>
	<BANLkTinnAu83rH6ZsUuKC+J3XFShnV=SZA@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <BANLkTimyVgmVxeKST4PtwuOUzqJtrSZ5gA@mail.gmail.com>

On Thu, Jun 2, 2011 at 12:24 PM, Edward Cherlin <echerlin at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Thu, Jun 2, 2011 at 08:05, Jeff Elkner <jeff at elkner.net> wrote:
>> Hi Edward,
>>
>> The book is licensed under the GNU/FDL and is available here:
>>
>> http://www.openbookproject.net/thinkcs
>
> Excellent. Thank you.
>
>> I'm very familiar with Turtle Art, since a college intern working with
>> me last Summer did a Sugar to Gnome port of it, which in now in the
>> debian repositories:
>>
>> http://packages.debian.org/search?keywords=turtleart
>>
>> This Summer we will work to get that into Fedora.
>
> I should talk to someone about getting it into Ubuntu, to add to Logo,
> kturtleart, and the turtle art module in Etoys. ^_^

It is already in Ubuntu, Edward, by way of Debian...

>> While as a classroom teacher I'm a huge fan of turtle art, Python's
>> own turtle module is the tool of choice for my current intro college
>> leve textbook project, since it runs on all major platforms and is
>> part of the Python standard library.
>
> I am planning a multi-year grade school sequence to introduce CS ideas
> using TA, with a transition from TA to Python by way of Python blocks
> in TA. I will take a look at your work, and see whether it makes sense
> to treat it as a followup to mine, or rather to design mine to lead
> into yours.
>
> Among the topics I intend to emphasize are Church's Thesis, G?del
> recursive functions, parse trees, stack programming (and hence RPN),
> language interpretation, and building a Turing Machine in pure TA.

Awesome!  I can't wait to see what you come up with.

jeff

>> Thanks!
>>
>> jeff elkner
>> open book project
>> http://openbookproject.net
>>
>> On Wed, Jun 1, 2011 at 6:37 PM, Edward Cherlin <echerlin at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> On Tue, May 31, 2011 at 16:59, Jeff Elkner <jeff at elkner.net> wrote:
>>>> Hi All,
>>>>
>>>> I'm working on an introductory CS book using Python with the turtle
>>>> module,
>>>
>>> Under what license?
>>>
>>> Can we talk about using Turtle Art in Sugar as a starting point? it
>>> can call Python functions assigned to blocks, providing an easy
>>> transition from pure TA to pure Python. We have support for various
>>> other CS topics on TA blocks, including stack operations. I am
>>> planning to write a Turing machine in TA, using colored dots as cells
>>> on the tape and instructions in the transition table.
>>>
>>>> but I'm finding the inability of turtle.Screen() to take
>>>> screen size arguments to be a real pain. ?The screen size appears to
>>>> depend on the screen size of the host environment, which means
>>>> standardizing screen shots for the book becomes impossible.
>>>>
>>>> Any thoughts on this issue? ?It would be a huge help in promoting
>>>> Python's use in education if we could make use of such a potentially
>>>> fine module as the turtle module, but I'm finding it very difficult to
>>>> write curriculum materials that use it since students don't have
>>>> control over the turtle's screen in any easy to use way.
>>>>
>>>> Thanks!
>>>>
>>>> jeff elkner
>>>> open book project
>>>> http://openbookproject.net
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> Edu-sig mailing list
>>>> Edu-sig at python.org
>>>> http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Edward Mokurai (??/???????????????/????????????? ?) Cherlin
>>> Silent Thunder is my name, and Children are my nation.
>>> The Cosmos is my dwelling place, the Truth my destination.
>>> http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/Replacing_Textbooks
>>>
>>
>
>
>
> --
> Edward Mokurai (??/???????????????/????????????? ?) Cherlin
> Silent Thunder is my name, and Children are my nation.
> The Cosmos is my dwelling place, the Truth my destination.
> http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/Replacing_Textbooks
>

From litvin at skylit.com  Thu Jun  2 22:27:54 2011
From: litvin at skylit.com (Litvin)
Date: Thu, 02 Jun 2011 16:27:54 -0400
Subject: [Edu-sig] egyptian fractions...
In-Reply-To: <BANLkTik7ajikuvLiZtYo-Y8Qv=m5g-dopQ@mail.gmail.com>
References: <BANLkTik7ajikuvLiZtYo-Y8Qv=m5g-dopQ@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <7.0.1.0.2.20110602153658.04016010@skylit.com>

At 04:52 PM 6/1/2011, kirby urner wrote:
>What I've been up to lately, besides teaching Python 24/7,
>is debating with the Egyptologists whether computer science
>really has an algorithm for "Egyptian Fractions".  Milo is
>arguing it doesn't and the consensus seems to be with
>him for now.  Fibonacci published what's today often called
>"the greedy algorithm" (though that's more the genre than
>the specimen) and I'm including that in Python below.

Hi, Kirby.

Thanks for mentioning Egyptian fractions.  I think one of the 
algorithms for finding them leads to a neat programming exercise on 
representing numbers in binary.

Given p/q, where q is a prime, first find n such that
2^n < q < 2^(n+1).  Then consider Q = q*(2^n).  Q has a property that 
any positive integer below Q can be represented as a sum of different 
proper divisors of Q.  In particular, P = p*(2^n) can be represented 
that way.  This leads to a representation of p/q = P/Q as a sum of 
Egyptian fractions (not necessarily the "best").  To find which 
divisors of Q add up to P use binary representations of P//q and P%q.

For example p/q = 5/11  ==>  n = 3 ==> Q = 11*(2^3) = 88  ==>
P = 5*(2^3) = 40 = 3 * 11 + 7 = (1 + 2) * 11 + 1 + 2 + 4  ==>
5/11 = 40/88 = 1/8 + 1/4 + 1/88 + 1/44 + 1/22.

The number of fractions in this method does not exceed the number of 
proper divisors of Q, which is 2n+1
which is less than 2 * log[base 2](q) + 1 -- not too bad.  The 
denominators of the fractions are below q^2.

Gary Litvin
www.skylit.com
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From kurner at oreillyschool.com  Fri Jun  3 00:17:32 2011
From: kurner at oreillyschool.com (Kirby Urner)
Date: Thu, 2 Jun 2011 15:17:32 -0700
Subject: [Edu-sig] egyptian fractions...
In-Reply-To: <7.0.1.0.2.20110602153658.04016010@skylit.com>
References: <BANLkTik7ajikuvLiZtYo-Y8Qv=m5g-dopQ@mail.gmail.com>
	<7.0.1.0.2.20110602153658.04016010@skylit.com>
Message-ID: <BANLkTik3rsbGm2hb7SXTvcYmeP++8kkyvQ@mail.gmail.com>

>
>
> Hi, Kirby.
>
> Thanks for mentioning Egyptian fractions.  I think one of the algorithms
> for finding them leads to a neat programming exercise on representing
> numbers in binary.
>
> Given p/q, where q is a prime, first find n such that
> 2^n < q < 2^(n+1).  Then consider Q = q*(2^n).  Q has a property that any
> positive integer below Q can be represented as a sum of different proper
> divisors of Q.  In particular, P = p*(2^n) can be represented that way.
> This leads to a representation of p/q = P/Q as a sum of Egyptian fractions
> (not necessarily the "best").  To find which divisors of Q add up to P use
> binary representations of P//q and P%q.
>
> For example p/q = 5/11  ==>  n = 3 ==> Q = 11*(2^3) = 88  ==>
> P = 5*(2^3) = 40 = 3 * 11 + 7 = (1 + 2) * 11 + 1 + 2 + 4  ==>
> 5/11 = 40/88 = 1/8 + 1/4 + 1/88 + 1/44 + 1/22.
>
>
I'm trying to figure out of that's what's going on in Eppstein's code, which
includes some from me:

http://www.ics.uci.edu/~eppstein/numth/egypt/egypt.py

Milo reminds us on mathfuture that these weren't academic pursuits for the
Egyptians so much as a way of divvying up grain, other dry and liquid goods,
in containers of known trusted quantities, and these tended to come in
1/something, i.e. as unit fractions.

You could pour multiple scoops of 1/88 of course, but when it comes to
storage, each capsule of wheet and/or pepper needs to have a unit fraction
clearly marked.

These could then be aggregated and swapped in ways that made sense the The
Temple (an abstraction, used for bookkeeping purposes, similar to The House
in Casino Math).

His case that the solutions weren't algorithmic is really just that they
weren't exclusively algorithmic, and that where many recipes yield possible
results, it's up to the "chef" to decide what's savory.

That's not a job best left to mere computers, even of the human variety.

Gotta have a nose, like chief taster for Jack Daniels (a chiefdom in some
ways -- took the tour in Lynchburg that time, a side trip of the main road
from Chatanooga to Nashville).

Good hearing from ya.

Ed, if you're listening, I made more waves around baseball stats as the core
database for our SQL teaching courses (includes languages using DBAPI),
might be on the agenda next staff meeting.

People get mixed messages about SQL:  that it was designed for end users
(ala MS Access), or that it's for highly skilled DBAs only, with all kinds
of certification?

Schooling is about reducing the intimidation factor.

Kirby


The number of fractions in this method does not exceed the number of proper
> divisors of Q, which is 2n+1
> which is less than 2 * log[base 2](q) + 1 -- not too bad.  The denominators
> of the fractions are below q^2.
>
> Gary Litvin
> www.skylit.com
>
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From missive at hotmail.com  Fri Jun  3 00:32:26 2011
From: missive at hotmail.com (Lee Harr)
Date: Fri, 3 Jun 2011 03:02:26 +0430
Subject: [Edu-sig] Anyone interested in discussing the turtle module?
Message-ID: <SNT106-W2562528A57F54496B88F3B17C0@phx.gbl>


> It would be a huge help in promoting
> Python's use in education if we could make use of such a potentially
> fine module as the turtle module, but I'm finding it very difficult to
> write curriculum materials that use it since students don't have
> control over the turtle's screen in any easy to use way.


I understand the advantage of using something that
is included in the default install, but I found using
the included turtle module to be unsatisfactory.

For me, one of the biggest problems was the whole
multiple windows thing. It's not too bad on linux
where you can set up focus follow mouse and no
raise on click, but explaining that to someone else
and expecting them to set it up is not reasonable.

Anyhow, that's why I started Pynguin:
http://pynguin.googlecode.com/

With this, I find it extremely easy to get the students
started with writing their own code.


Getting back to the turtle module; I did look at
extending the turtle module when I started pynguin.
It explicitly says in the module that it is designed for
extending with another toolkit, but it also imports
Tk at the top level.

I think what I am going to do is implement a subclass
of Pynguin that implements all of the Turtle methods
and then make turtle-compatibility a configuration
option.


One user sent me a py2exe'd version of Pynguin, so
getting it running on windows should not be too
difficult. I was not comfortable posting the exe,
though, since I have no way of knowing what is
in it.

 		 	   		  

From roberto03 at gmail.com  Fri Jun  3 11:12:16 2011
From: roberto03 at gmail.com (roberto)
Date: Fri, 3 Jun 2011 11:12:16 +0200
Subject: [Edu-sig] Anyone interested in discussing the turtle module?
In-Reply-To: <BANLkTimyVgmVxeKST4PtwuOUzqJtrSZ5gA@mail.gmail.com>
References: <BANLkTikZCKirKyZjG0UxswvitZQBThTVZg@mail.gmail.com>
	<BANLkTin4nJTcu5TqWOcTJOP20WOKaD1f+w@mail.gmail.com>
	<BANLkTikXer6=BjYOtjkEpRdfyr5eJzvu6w@mail.gmail.com>
	<BANLkTinnAu83rH6ZsUuKC+J3XFShnV=SZA@mail.gmail.com>
	<BANLkTimyVgmVxeKST4PtwuOUzqJtrSZ5gA@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <BANLkTimg_mty=sYdXFeRq_Hk+6ZEHGxm+g@mail.gmail.com>

On Thu, Jun 2, 2011 at 7:49 PM, Jeff Elkner <jeff at elkner.net> wrote:
> On Thu, Jun 2, 2011 at 12:24 PM, Edward Cherlin <echerlin at gmail.com> wrote:
>> On Thu, Jun 2, 2011 at 08:05, Jeff Elkner <jeff at elkner.net> wrote:
>>> Hi Edward,
>>>
>>> The book is licensed under the GNU/FDL and is available here:
>>>
>>> http://www.openbookproject.net/thinkcs
>>
>> Excellent. Thank you.
+1

also, i might finally take the chance of teaching (and learning) CS
for high school students next year, alongside with robotics;
i can't contribute at the moment to your book but i definitely need
educational material for all the range from TA to pure Python, so
please keep us posted !

regards
-- 
roberto

From kurner at oreillyschool.com  Sat Jun  4 02:23:55 2011
From: kurner at oreillyschool.com (Kirby Urner)
Date: Fri, 3 Jun 2011 17:23:55 -0700
Subject: [Edu-sig] background docs on Tractor Art
Message-ID: <BANLkTikgXtaq_2RXG76iseW4C4taLczkmA@mail.gmail.com>

I'm thinking OOP, more than any other paradigm, encourages
a rich set of metaphors, which may be touted as an advantage
if you're ever up against the well in an OOP-hostile room (been
there done that).  "Anti-imperativists" can be pretty militant.

Inheritance is a most obvious metaphor, from whence come any
number of ancestor, parent, child, multi-parent paradigms.
All that assumed knowledge from "real life" infuses the shop
talk, giving a boost in understanding provided the metaphors
aren't too misleading.

The Turtle has become ubiquitous as an obvious "self" in
some environment that might in turn be subclassed if we
like.  Some joke about "turtles all the way down".  It's the
ultimate avatar or sim, usually seen as "3rd person" but
could be "1st person" as well (change of viewpoint).

However, I went with a Tractor instead of Turtle precisely
because the turtle metaphors have been milked pretty
thoroughly and needn't be the last word.  With a Tractor,
we get new etymologies, such as traction, tractare, to drag,
to plow, to leave a rut or mark, to record, to do work
(tractatus).

One of the easiest ways to show off metaphors is not to
subclass a the Tractor type however, but to simply
rename it.

Generic:
>>> from farmworld import Tractor as Worker, Farm as Factory

More specific:
>>> from farmworld import Tractor as government_worker, Farm as Area_51

Students immediately appreciate the analogies between
a horse-like fuel burning engine that does the work of hundreds
of humans, being akin to some generic "doer" or "agent",
with the Farm being akin to said worker's "environment"
or "workplace".

One is starting to think in a more OO fashion when one can mentally
juxtapose what is common among objects.

The Tractor class simply "mows the lawn" in an XY grid.

Actually, a tractor leaves no record in the field itself (self.field is
a list of lists), unless you invoke the plow method (why not
plough = plow?) to make a mark (replace an ASCII character
with a different one -- peek and poke come to mind, from
old timer BASIC coders).

Ed asked me if I'd considered Unicode for the Farm cells.

Indeed, a big part of the Lessons is to mentally add a 3rd
dimension to each cell.  Given this is a Farm, I use the
word silo, which has the interesting property of pointing
either up, above the plane (a grain silo), or below (a missile
silo).  If this XY grid were a bitmap (BMP), or tif file,
with each cell a pixel, then the silo could be about
color depth.

As it is, even though we're getting by with Latin-1, we can
suggest a 32-bit deep silo, with various UTF encodings
compressing that 32-bit pattern.  The mapping to ASCII is
suggestive, and the fact that we're getting by with single
bytes merely highlights the primitivist aesthetic across
all modules.

The Tractor then needs to be subclassed.  It's still an
iterator, meaning it exports the iterator interface (the Java
way of talking) with __iter__ and __next__.

The Sensor tractor does something most Logo-based
turtles don't do:  it senses its environment (of course
Logo lets you write these procedures right?  You can
query the color value at a screen position?).

The Sensor tractor doesn't just look straight down, at
the cell over which it sits -- (Y, X) -- it looks in the 8
directions perpendicular to the edges of a Stop sign:
NW N NE E SE S SW W.

If any of these happen to be off the field, there's a
default value.  Tractors know to StopIteration when
they hit a field boundary or fence.

With a Sensor Tractor, we can play Conway's Game
of Life, by checking the neighborhood.  Rather than
subclass again, we just write a function taking
Sensor tractors for granted.  With a Sensor Tractor,
we may also implement Wolfram's 256 rules, simply
by reading the three cells to the north (NW N NE)
and following some simple substitution rules.

http://4dsolutions.net/ocn/python/OST/lifegame.py
http://4dsolutions.net/ocn/python/OST/nks.py

The CropCircle Tractor is different.  It is inwardly driven
by a generator for the Mandelbrot Set (others might
be swapped in, as the "brains" for this Tractor).  The
CropCircle subclass stretches a complex plane of
given size over whatever 2d array (list of lists).  When
its plow method is fired, it doesn't just make a mark,
like the ancestor / parent.  It computes a mark based on
what the Mandelbrot Set would be here, after so many
iterations of its generator.  The resulting output, after
the field has been mowed, is a Mandelbrot in rough
outline, a primitive example of "ASCII art":

http://4dsolutions.net/ocn/python/OST/ostcanvas.py
http://www.flickr.com/photos/17157315 at N00/5645244292/in/set-72157625646071793

Kirby

Much more about Tractors etc.:
http://groups.google.com/group/mathfuture/browse_thread/thread/d2390406c11f8503?pli=1
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From mpaul213 at gmail.com  Wed Jun  8 06:51:31 2011
From: mpaul213 at gmail.com (michel paul)
Date: Tue, 7 Jun 2011 21:51:31 -0700
Subject: [Edu-sig] this is interesting
Message-ID: <BANLkTi=0Z1JNQYJVscF6MOXf-PFUAiZbHw@mail.gmail.com>

>> def f(n, history = []):
  history.append(n)
  return history

>>> f(1)
[1]
>>> f(2)
[1, 2]
>>> f(3)
[1, 2, 3]
>>> f(2)
[1, 2, 3, 2]
>>> f(1)
[1, 2, 3, 2, 1]
>>> f(1,[])
[1]

A student wrote me wondering why his function wouldn't 'clear' after being
called.  He meant to create an empty list and ended up with something like
this.

What's a good way to explain what's going on?

- Michel



-- 
==================================
"What I cannot create, I do not understand."

- Richard Feynman
==================================
"Computer science is the new mathematics."

- Dr. Christos Papadimitriou
==================================
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From kb1pkl at aim.com  Wed Jun  8 06:58:35 2011
From: kb1pkl at aim.com (Corey Richardson)
Date: Wed, 08 Jun 2011 00:58:35 -0400
Subject: [Edu-sig] this is interesting
In-Reply-To: <BANLkTi=0Z1JNQYJVscF6MOXf-PFUAiZbHw@mail.gmail.com>
References: <BANLkTi=0Z1JNQYJVscF6MOXf-PFUAiZbHw@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <4DEF017B.4020604@aim.com>

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1

On 06/08/2011 12:51 AM, michel paul wrote:
>>> def f(n, history = []):
>   history.append(n)
>   return history
>   [...]
> A student wrote me wondering why his function wouldn't 'clear' after being
> called.  He meant to create an empty list and ended up with something like
> this.
> 
> What's a good way to explain what's going on?
> 

It's a very, *very* common newbie mistake. When the function object is
created, the "history=[]" is evaluated and it refers to the same object
during each run of the function. The proper idiom is:

def f(n, history=None):
    if history is None:
        history = []
    # Do stuff

I probably explained that poorly but it's essentially what's going on.
- -- 
Corey Richardson
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From kurner at oreillyschool.com  Wed Jun  8 09:14:27 2011
From: kurner at oreillyschool.com (Kirby Urner)
Date: Wed, 8 Jun 2011 00:14:27 -0700
Subject: [Edu-sig] this is interesting
In-Reply-To: <BANLkTi=0Z1JNQYJVscF6MOXf-PFUAiZbHw@mail.gmail.com>
References: <BANLkTi=0Z1JNQYJVscF6MOXf-PFUAiZbHw@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <BANLkTinC4Q4r6D7iHWB=xvaR+XMP23nFBg@mail.gmail.com>

On Tue, Jun 7, 2011 at 9:51 PM, michel paul <mpaul213 at gmail.com> wrote:

> >> def f(n, history = []):
>   history.append(n)
>   return history
>
> >>> f(1)
> [1]
> >>> f(2)
> [1, 2]
> >>> f(3)
> [1, 2, 3]
> >>> f(2)
> [1, 2, 3, 2]
> >>> f(1)
> [1, 2, 3, 2, 1]
> >>> f(1,[])
> [1]
>
> A student wrote me wondering why his function wouldn't 'clear' after being
> called.  He meant to create an empty list and ended up with something like
> this.
>
> What's a good way to explain what's going on?
>
> - Michel
>
>
Yeah good example.

I talk about the "function mouth" as likewise a "castle gate" where "guards"
(the parameters) show up to take the values passed to them (as arguments).

Some guards aren't met with a value and so go maybe over to this closet (of
default objects) and haul out whatever they're supposed to work with by
default.

They might append to it (like your history above).

Any time a value (object) comes in as an argument, they use that instead,
but the thing in the closet is always there.

In a primitive way, functions get to have state between calls in this way, a
hint that generators are to come, when the fish will finally walk upon land
(generators evolve from functions in this story).

Kirby



>
>
> --
> ==================================
> "What I cannot create, I do not understand."
>
> - Richard Feynman
> ==================================
> "Computer science is the new mathematics."
>
> - Dr. Christos Papadimitriou
> ==================================
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Edu-sig mailing list
> Edu-sig at python.org
> http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
>
>
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From lac at openend.se  Wed Jun  8 10:23:40 2011
From: lac at openend.se (Laura Creighton)
Date: Wed, 08 Jun 2011 10:23:40 +0200
Subject: [Edu-sig] this is interesting
In-Reply-To: Message from michel paul <mpaul213@gmail.com> of "Tue,
	07 Jun 2011 21:51:31 PDT."
	<BANLkTi=0Z1JNQYJVscF6MOXf-PFUAiZbHw@mail.gmail.com>
References: <BANLkTi=0Z1JNQYJVscF6MOXf-PFUAiZbHw@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <201106080823.p588Ne5B012207@theraft.openend.se>

In a message of Tue, 07 Jun 2011 21:51:31 PDT, michel paul writes:

>>> def f(n, history = []):
>  history.append(n)
>  return history

<snip>

>
>What's a good way to explain what's going on?
>
>- Michel

Assuming that you have already taught about the difference between
mutable and immutable objects, ask the student to make a different
version, with the signature

def f2(n, history=())

and see if that gives the expected result.

Then get the student to _explain to you_ what's the difference between
tuples and lists that could result in this difference in behaviour.
This will move the discussion one of two ways.  Either to "why using 
default values for mutable objects in function signatures is almost
never what you want to do, and a discussion of what we can do about
this (use sentinels)" :-) or "lists are a bad idea, use tuples for 
everything" :-(.  If you are in conversation 2, you need to detour
through 'then why do we have a list datatype?  What is it good for?"

Laura

From gregor.lingl at aon.at  Sat Jun 11 18:26:05 2011
From: gregor.lingl at aon.at (Gregor Lingl)
Date: Sat, 11 Jun 2011 18:26:05 +0200
Subject: [Edu-sig] More practice exercises
Message-ID: <4DF3971D.1080601@aon.at>

A very interesting collection of exercises you can find on

http://projecteuler.net/

Especially the problems below 100 are well suited for beginners.

http://projecteuler.net/index.php?section=problems

This week's problem, on the contrary, seems to be customized for Kirby!

http://projecteuler.net/index.php?section=problems&id=342

Best regards,
Gregor

From kirby.urner at gmail.com  Sat Jun 11 19:54:23 2011
From: kirby.urner at gmail.com (kirby urner)
Date: Sat, 11 Jun 2011 10:54:23 -0700
Subject: [Edu-sig] More practice exercises
In-Reply-To: <4DF3971D.1080601@aon.at>
References: <4DF3971D.1080601@aon.at>
Message-ID: <BANLkTikUJd-dvV8HeqcKknA+AG_78ag2TQ@mail.gmail.com>

I've been looking these over since reading your post.  I'd heard of this
project but this was my first time to really check it out.

Euler's name has been coming up for sure, these days more in a "city with
bridges" context, in that I'm interested in optimizing food flows, using
bicycles to intercept what need not join the waste stream.

Bike trailers bring small portions enabling just-in-time inventory
management techniques, low overhead, micro-storage only.

Python is in the wings on this one, as the server companies that know how to
market interesting ideas tend to have knowledgeable geeks on board.  Lots of
IT people get involved in our work.

Thanks for these links.  Python should be fast enough to get within the one
minute time frame one would think, at least on some of them.

Kirby


On Sat, Jun 11, 2011 at 9:26 AM, Gregor Lingl <gregor.lingl at aon.at> wrote:

> A very interesting collection of exercises you can find on
>
> http://projecteuler.net/
>
> Especially the problems below 100 are well suited for beginners.
>
> http://projecteuler.net/index.php?section=problems
>
> This week's problem, on the contrary, seems to be customized for Kirby!
>
> http://projecteuler.net/index.php?section=problems&id=342
>
> Best regards,
> Gregor
>
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From kirby.urner at gmail.com  Sat Jun 11 20:09:03 2011
From: kirby.urner at gmail.com (kirby urner)
Date: Sat, 11 Jun 2011 11:09:03 -0700
Subject: [Edu-sig] More practice exercises
In-Reply-To: <BANLkTikUJd-dvV8HeqcKknA+AG_78ag2TQ@mail.gmail.com>
References: <4DF3971D.1080601@aon.at>
	<BANLkTikUJd-dvV8HeqcKknA+AG_78ag2TQ@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <BANLkTin_qXKH0LxhL0Wc3Xnq96ea2p699Q@mail.gmail.com>

On Sat, Jun 11, 2011 at 10:54 AM, kirby urner <kirby.urner at gmail.com> wrote:

>
> I've been looking these over since reading your post.  I'd heard of this
> project but this was my first time to really check it out.
>
> Euler's name has been coming up for sure, these days more in a "city with
> bridges" context, in that I'm interested in optimizing food flows, using
> bicycles to intercept what need not join the waste stream.
>
> Bike trailers bring small portions enabling just-in-time inventory
> management techniques, low overhead, micro-storage only.
>
>
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/synergeo/message/65734

( links back through blogs to one of the VPython projects at my site:

HP4E:

http://4dsolutions.net/ocn/hexapent.html

http://4dsolutions.net/ocn/life.html

).


Kirby
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From gregor.lingl at aon.at  Sat Jun 11 20:50:42 2011
From: gregor.lingl at aon.at (Gregor Lingl)
Date: Sat, 11 Jun 2011 20:50:42 +0200
Subject: [Edu-sig] More practice exercises
In-Reply-To: <BANLkTikUJd-dvV8HeqcKknA+AG_78ag2TQ@mail.gmail.com>
References: <4DF3971D.1080601@aon.at>
	<BANLkTikUJd-dvV8HeqcKknA+AG_78ag2TQ@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <4DF3B902.4000104@aon.at>

Am 11.06.2011 19:54, schrieb kirby urner:
>
> I've been looking these over since reading your post.  I'd heard of 
> this project but this was my first time to really check it out.
>
> ...
>
> Thanks for these links.  Python should be fast enough to get within 
> the one minute time frame one would think, at least on some of them.
It is definitely! I got a solution to problem 341, that needed less the 
15 seconds.
I've no solution to 342 yet. As "your" Euler totient is the central 
point of the problem, I thought this is your thing - and you can't help 
to solve it   ;-)

Best wishes
Gregor
>
> Kirby
>
>
> On Sat, Jun 11, 2011 at 9:26 AM, Gregor Lingl <gregor.lingl at aon.at 
> <mailto:gregor.lingl at aon.at>> wrote:
>
>     A very interesting collection of exercises you can find on
>
>     http://projecteuler.net/
>
>     Especially the problems below 100 are well suited for beginners.
>
>     http://projecteuler.net/index.php?section=problems
>
>     This week's problem, on the contrary, seems to be customized for
>     Kirby!
>
>     http://projecteuler.net/index.php?section=problems&id=342
>     <http://projecteuler.net/index.php?section=problems&id=342>
>
>     Best regards,
>     Gregor
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Edu-sig mailing list
> Edu-sig at python.org
> http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig

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From kirby.urner at gmail.com  Sat Jun 11 22:04:05 2011
From: kirby.urner at gmail.com (kirby urner)
Date: Sat, 11 Jun 2011 13:04:05 -0700
Subject: [Edu-sig] More practice exercises
In-Reply-To: <4DF3B902.4000104@aon.at>
References: <4DF3971D.1080601@aon.at>
	<BANLkTikUJd-dvV8HeqcKknA+AG_78ag2TQ@mail.gmail.com>
	<4DF3B902.4000104@aon.at>
Message-ID: <BANLkTimFOrmoC2nGsEeWG7-oUFh0atK9tA@mail.gmail.com>

There's a totient function based on knowing the prime factors of n.

Line 13 on this page:  http://mathworld.wolfram.com/TotientFunction.html

The one I use in beginning Python is just

len([num for num in range(1,n) if gcd(num, n)==1 ]  # count strangers to n

... where gcd is Guido's four liner.

I'm sure the latter is way too slow and brutish for Euler Project esoterica.

I confess to a knee-jerk reaction against a 3rd and 2nd power being
described as cube and square respectively, as much good sense as this
customarily makes in Earthling Math.

I've been groomed to have odd biases.

Kirby


On Sat, Jun 11, 2011 at 11:50 AM, Gregor Lingl <gregor.lingl at aon.at> wrote:

>  Am 11.06.2011 19:54, schrieb kirby urner:
>
>
>  I've been looking these over since reading your post.  I'd heard of this
> project but this was my first time to really check it out.
>
>  ...
>
>  Thanks for these links.  Python should be fast enough to get within the
> one minute time frame one would think, at least on some of them.
>
> It is definitely! I got a solution to problem 341, that needed less the 15
> seconds.
> I've no solution to 342 yet. As "your" Euler totient is the central point
> of the problem, I thought this is your thing - and you can't help to solve
> it   ;-)
>
> Best wishes
> Gregor
>
>
>  Kirby
>
>
>  On Sat, Jun 11, 2011 at 9:26 AM, Gregor Lingl <gregor.lingl at aon.at>wrote:
>
>> A very interesting collection of exercises you can find on
>>
>> http://projecteuler.net/
>>
>> Especially the problems below 100 are well suited for beginners.
>>
>> http://projecteuler.net/index.php?section=problems
>>
>> This week's problem, on the contrary, seems to be customized for Kirby!
>>
>> http://projecteuler.net/index.php?section=problems&id=342
>>
>> Best regards,
>> Gregor
>>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Edu-sig mailing list
> Edu-sig at python.orghttp://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Edu-sig mailing list
> Edu-sig at python.org
> http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
>
>
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From calcpage at aol.com  Sat Jun 11 23:51:54 2011
From: calcpage at aol.com (A. Jorge Garcia)
Date: Sat, 11 Jun 2011 17:51:54 -0400
Subject: [Edu-sig] NEW: Blogs, Videos and Donorschoose!
In-Reply-To: <8CDDB121124D4EB-1B44-1F7D8@TSTMAIL-D02.sysops.aol.com>
References: <8CDDB121124D4EB-1B44-1F7D8@TSTMAIL-D02.sysops.aol.com>
Message-ID: <8CDF698E9AE446D-B30-36CAC@webmail-d048.sysops.aol.com>

Please enjoy my latest blogs about Learning and Teaching Math and 
Computing with technology!
http://shadowfaxrant.blogspot.com/2011/06/is-there-life-after-calculus.html
http://shadowfaxrant.blogspot.com/2011/06/chief-reader-rosenstein-vs-betty-sue.html
http://shadowfaxrant.blogspot.com/2011/05/smartboards-flatscreens-and-ideapads-oh.html
http://shadowfaxrant.blogspot.com/2011/05/httpappinventorgooglelabscom-and.html

Here's my new preCalculus screen-casts (starting Calculus)!
http://www.youtube.com/calcpage2009

Here's some math and computer songs my studemts made for YouTube!
http://www.youtube.com/cistheta2007

Here's my current DonorsChoose project!
http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/proposal.html?id=520470&challengeid=32688#materials 


Thanx,
A. Jorge Garcia
Applied Math and CompSci
http://shadowfaxrant.blogspot.com
http://www.youtube.com/calcpage2009


From kirby.urner at gmail.com  Sun Jun 12 01:22:09 2011
From: kirby.urner at gmail.com (kirby urner)
Date: Sat, 11 Jun 2011 16:22:09 -0700
Subject: [Edu-sig] NEW: Blogs, Videos and Donorschoose!
In-Reply-To: <8CDF698E9AE446D-B30-36CAC@webmail-d048.sysops.aol.com>
References: <8CDDB121124D4EB-1B44-1F7D8@TSTMAIL-D02.sysops.aol.com>
	<8CDF698E9AE446D-B30-36CAC@webmail-d048.sysops.aol.com>
Message-ID: <BANLkTinvV9QiUWyj1=erVC8_Lk6ZwZ02mg@mail.gmail.com>

Lots of great links here.

Was surfing around, 1 degree of separation, and came across this
excellent Ignite talk:

http://www.youtube.com/calcpage2009#p/f/23/t3IP_FmGams

(about restoring an Archimedes text from like an overwritten hard drive --
fortunately, it was analog (a book)).

Such great educational opportunities at the click of a mouse.

Thanks for all the value added.  Collecting worthy finds is always a help to
others.

Kirby


On Sat, Jun 11, 2011 at 2:51 PM, A. Jorge Garcia <calcpage at aol.com> wrote:

> Please enjoy my latest blogs about Learning and Teaching Math and Computing
> with technology!
> http://shadowfaxrant.blogspot.com/2011/06/is-there-life-after-calculus.html
>
> http://shadowfaxrant.blogspot.com/2011/06/chief-reader-rosenstein-vs-betty-sue.html
>
> http://shadowfaxrant.blogspot.com/2011/05/smartboards-flatscreens-and-ideapads-oh.html
>
> http://shadowfaxrant.blogspot.com/2011/05/httpappinventorgooglelabscom-and.html
>
>
> Here's my new preCalculus screen-casts (starting Calculus)!
> http://www.youtube.com/calcpage2009
>
> Here's some math and computer songs my studemts made for YouTube!
> http://www.youtube.com/cistheta2007
>
> Here's my current DonorsChoose project!
>
> http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/proposal.html?id=520470&challengeid=32688#materials
>
> Thanx,
> A. Jorge Garcia
> Applied Math and CompSci
> http://shadowfaxrant.blogspot.com
> http://www.youtube.com/calcpage2009
>
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From johnabloodworth3 at gmail.com  Thu Jun 16 17:36:28 2011
From: johnabloodworth3 at gmail.com (Jay Bloodworth)
Date: Thu, 16 Jun 2011 11:36:28 -0400
Subject: [Edu-sig] Math UI
Message-ID: <4DFA22FC.1070508@gmail.com>

This question is not really specific to python. Apologies if that is a
party foul, but I think it is in the spirit of the list.

Suppose I give an algebra student the system:

y=2/3x + 5
4x - 2y = 7

I want the student to solve the system algebraically, to show her work,
to use appropriate notation, and to do it on a tablet computer rather
than pencil and paper. What does the UI look like for this task? Is it
something the equation editor for a word processor? Or more specialized?
Are their lots of menus? Or is it more like LaTeX, using special text
syntax to denote fractions, etc. How do we make sure that using the UI
doesn't occupy so many brain cycles that it limits the student's ability
to do the algebra?

Obviously this is less about solving systems in particular and more
about the issues that come up as computers begin to replace pencil and
paper as the standard format for communicating in a math classroom. I
would appreciate your thoughts.

Jay


From mpaul213 at gmail.com  Thu Jun 16 18:46:47 2011
From: mpaul213 at gmail.com (michel paul)
Date: Thu, 16 Jun 2011 09:46:47 -0700
Subject: [Edu-sig] Math UI
In-Reply-To: <4DFA22FC.1070508@gmail.com>
References: <4DFA22FC.1070508@gmail.com>
Message-ID: <BANLkTimcQdrgkpnynCpMDsMC-2CHf5n+kA@mail.gmail.com>

With Sage you can do this kind of stuff:

sage: eq1(x,y) = (y == 2/3*x + 5)
sage: eq2(x,y) = (4*x - 2*y == 7)
sage: eq1
y == 2/3*x + 5
sage: eq2
4*x - 2*y == 7
sage: eq3 = eq2(y = 2/3*x + 5)
sage: eq3
8/3*x - 10 == 7
sage: eq3 += 10
sage: eq3
8/3*x == 17
sage: eq3 /= 8/3
sage: eq3
x == (51/8)
sage: eq1(x=51/8)
y == (37/4)

Sage <http://sagemath.org/> is Python with mathematical super powers added.
It lets you treat an equation as an object and manipulate it in various ways
- substituting different values for the variables or rearranging terms.  It
of course has a solve function, but I've used it as above to 'show work'.

I don't think there's a tablet app for it, but you can use Sage through a
browser.


- Michel


On Thu, Jun 16, 2011 at 8:36 AM, Jay Bloodworth
<johnabloodworth3 at gmail.com>wrote:

> This question is not really specific to python. Apologies if that is a
> party foul, but I think it is in the spirit of the list.
>
> Suppose I give an algebra student the system:
>
> y=2/3x + 5
> 4x - 2y = 7
>
> I want the student to solve the system algebraically, to show her work,
> to use appropriate notation, and to do it on a tablet computer rather
> than pencil and paper. What does the UI look like for this task? Is it
> something the equation editor for a word processor? Or more specialized?
> Are their lots of menus? Or is it more like LaTeX, using special text
> syntax to denote fractions, etc. How do we make sure that using the UI
> doesn't occupy so many brain cycles that it limits the student's ability
> to do the algebra?
>
> Obviously this is less about solving systems in particular and more
> about the issues that come up as computers begin to replace pencil and
> paper as the standard format for communicating in a math classroom. I
> would appreciate your thoughts.
>
> Jay
>
> _______________________________________________
> Edu-sig mailing list
> Edu-sig at python.org
> http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
>



-- 
==================================
"What I cannot create, I do not understand."

- Richard Feynman
==================================
"Computer science is the new mathematics."

- Dr. Christos Papadimitriou
==================================
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From calcpage at aol.com  Thu Jun 16 22:26:14 2011
From: calcpage at aol.com (A. Jorge Garcia)
Date: Thu, 16 Jun 2011 16:26:14 -0400
Subject: [Edu-sig] Math UI
In-Reply-To: <4DFA22FC.1070508@gmail.com>
References: <4DFA22FC.1070508@gmail.com>
Message-ID: <8CDFA7AC6245FF9-CD4-1EF52@angweb-usd022.sysops.aol.com>

Let her use Matrices in MATLAB or SAGE! See http://sagemath.org

HTH,
A. Jorge Garcia
Applied Math and CompSci
http://shadowfaxrant.blogspot.com
http://www.youtube.com/calcpage2009


-----Original Message-----
From: Jay Bloodworth <johnabloodworth3 at gmail.com>
To: edu-sig at python.org
Sent: Thu, Jun 16, 2011 11:39 am
Subject: [Edu-sig] Math UI

This question is not really specific to python. Apologies if that is a
party foul, but I think it is in the spirit of the list.

Suppose I give an algebra student the system:

y=2/3x + 5
4x - 2y = 7

I want the student to solve the system algebraically, to show her work,
to use appropriate notation, and to do it on a tablet computer rather
than pencil and paper. What does the UI look like for this task? Is it
something the equation editor for a word processor? Or more specialized?
Are their lots of menus? Or is it more like LaTeX, using special text
syntax to denote fractions, etc. How do we make sure that using the UI
doesn't occupy so many brain cycles that it limits the student's ability
to do the algebra?

Obviously this is less about solving systems in particular and more
about the issues that come up as computers begin to replace pencil and
paper as the standard format for communicating in a math classroom. I
would appreciate your thoughts.

Jay

_______________________________________________
Edu-sig mailing list
Edu-sig at python.org
http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig



From mark.engelberg at gmail.com  Sat Jun 18 09:10:14 2011
From: mark.engelberg at gmail.com (Mark Engelberg)
Date: Sat, 18 Jun 2011 00:10:14 -0700
Subject: [Edu-sig] Math UI
In-Reply-To: <4DFA22FC.1070508@gmail.com>
References: <4DFA22FC.1070508@gmail.com>
Message-ID: <BANLkTik0-VXWdW=APxn7zOy8uXVi9ryoWQ@mail.gmail.com>

You say the student has a tablet computer.  Don't tablets have an
e-ink mode where you can write the same way you'd write on paper?  If
so, then just write it out the way you would on paper.  Supposedly
Windows 7 has built in handwriting recognition for formulas, and there
are third party programs that piggy back on this capability (e.g.,
MathType).  I haven't tried it myself, though.

If that's not an option, I think you need to look at either LaTeX, or
possibly LyX as a friendlier front-end.

Things like Sage, Microsoft Math, and MathPiper are good tools for
solving equations, but I don't think they will be of much use in terms
of giving your student a way to write out the solving process by hand.

From blakeelias at gmail.com  Fri Jun 24 05:40:02 2011
From: blakeelias at gmail.com (Blake Elias)
Date: Thu, 23 Jun 2011 23:40:02 -0400
Subject: [Edu-sig] Inexpensive robot teaching platforms
Message-ID: <BANLkTim1_ohHJM2zYP9wjT8c+Q75=5EamA@mail.gmail.com>

My high school competes in the FIRST Robotics Competition.  Every year
we have to teach new members basic robotics and programming concepts,
to get them excited and prepared for the heat of competition.  Those
who have the patience stay with it and have a great time, but we
always lose a bunch of people partly because the lessons are not very
interesting or useful.  I believe the solution is to teach with small
robots, instead of just writing on the board and doing "hello
world"-type programs.

Vern, I was very inspired by your PyCon talk on teaching programming
with the Scribbler.  I know people have had success with it, it looks
like a great robot to teach with.  For our budget however, getting a
bunch of these would be a stretch (I think the scribbler + fluke board
combo costs $140 -- is this correct?).  You do need the Fluke board
unless you want to program it in BASIC Stamp or their GUI, right?

I've seen some cheaper mini-robots but I'm not sure if they're any
good.  Does anyone have suggestions?


Thanks,
Blake Elias

From vceder at gmail.com  Fri Jun 24 07:16:13 2011
From: vceder at gmail.com (Vern Ceder)
Date: Fri, 24 Jun 2011 00:16:13 -0500
Subject: [Edu-sig] Inexpensive robot teaching platforms
In-Reply-To: <BANLkTim1_ohHJM2zYP9wjT8c+Q75=5EamA@mail.gmail.com>
References: <BANLkTim1_ohHJM2zYP9wjT8c+Q75=5EamA@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <BANLkTikseNjO3iMp-_QaUSUWap0jYpLDxw@mail.gmail.com>

Hi Blake,

On Thu, Jun 23, 2011 at 10:40 PM, Blake Elias <blakeelias at gmail.com> wrote:

> My high school competes in the FIRST Robotics Competition.  Every year
> we have to teach new members basic robotics and programming concepts,
> to get them excited and prepared for the heat of competition.  Those
> who have the patience stay with it and have a great time, but we
> always lose a bunch of people partly because the lessons are not very
> interesting or useful.  I believe the solution is to teach with small
> robots, instead of just writing on the board and doing "hello
> world"-type programs.
>

That was exactly the same conclusion we came to, although at our school the
competition uses Vexx components and is designed by local engineers. And
we've had some success following the approach you suggest.


> Vern, I was very inspired by your PyCon talk on teaching programming
> with the Scribbler.  I know people have had success with it, it looks
>

I'm glad to hear that, I'm going to give essentially the same talk at ISTE
on Monday (thanks to the Python Software Foundation board for supporting
that trip financially!), and I'll report back if I get any interesting
feedback.

like a great robot to teach with.  For our budget however, getting a
> bunch of these would be a stretch (I think the scribbler + fluke board
> combo costs $140 -- is this correct?).  You do need the Fluke board
> unless you want to program it in BASIC Stamp or their GUI, right?
>

You are pretty much right on all counts, except that the Scribbler/Fluke
combo is more like $180. Depending on numbers it still might be worth it to
work in teams of 2-4, although that does have its downside. The scribbler
isn't perfect, but it's pretty darned good for the cost.

Cheers and good luck (and by all means, keep us posted).

Vern

> I've seen some cheaper mini-robots but I'm not sure if they're any
> good.  Does anyone have suggestions?
>
>
> Thanks,
> Blake Elias
> _______________________________________________
> Edu-sig mailing list
> Edu-sig at python.org
> http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
>



-- 
Vern Ceder
vceder at gmail.com, vceder at dogsinmotion.com
The Quick Python Book, 2nd Ed - http://bit.ly/bRsWDW
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From mamckenna at sch.ci.lexington.ma.us  Fri Jun 24 12:00:42 2011
From: mamckenna at sch.ci.lexington.ma.us (Marianne McKenna)
Date: Fri, 24 Jun 2011 06:00:42 -0400
Subject: [Edu-sig] Edu-sig Digest, Vol 95, Issue 13
Message-ID: <fc.0119ed2a0308a9333b9aca00d560b7b6.308a934@sch.ci.lexington.ma.us>

I will be out of the office until June 27th.  Please contact your building
techsupport for help.  If it's an emergency please contact Paul Musto or
Patricia Hunter in the computer center.   Many Thanks!

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From blakeelias at gmail.com  Fri Jun 24 18:09:15 2011
From: blakeelias at gmail.com (Blake Elias)
Date: Fri, 24 Jun 2011 12:09:15 -0400
Subject: [Edu-sig] Inexpensive robot teaching platforms
In-Reply-To: <BANLkTikseNjO3iMp-_QaUSUWap0jYpLDxw@mail.gmail.com>
References: <BANLkTim1_ohHJM2zYP9wjT8c+Q75=5EamA@mail.gmail.com>
	<BANLkTikseNjO3iMp-_QaUSUWap0jYpLDxw@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <BANLkTinfYPAdAzRGUm-k+No0Td_7BBoOJA@mail.gmail.com>

Right now we're leaning towards the Adventure Bot:

http://custobots.com/products/adventure-bot-rs005

It's quite a bit cheaper at $80.  Though it doesn't have nearly as
many sensors, they'll still be able to do some cool things.  And we
can afford more of them so the kids can work in smaller groups.  With
the small amount of time we have to teach, I'm not sure we'd even get
a chance to use the Scribbler's additional capabilities like camera
processing.

Once they see the basics on the small robot, they'll be able to play a
little bit with the larger ones we build for the competition, which
weigh 120 lbs and have more functions.  Those just aren't great
teaching tools in the beginning because they take up more space and we
don't have enough of them for kids to work in groups of 1-3.

Blake Elias



On Fri, Jun 24, 2011 at 1:16 AM, Vern Ceder <vceder at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi Blake,
>
> On Thu, Jun 23, 2011 at 10:40 PM, Blake Elias <blakeelias at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> My high school competes in the FIRST Robotics Competition. ?Every year
>> we have to teach new members basic robotics and programming concepts,
>> to get them excited and prepared for the heat of competition. ?Those
>> who have the patience stay with it and have a great time, but we
>> always lose a bunch of people partly because the lessons are not very
>> interesting or useful. ?I believe the solution is to teach with small
>> robots, instead of just writing on the board and doing "hello
>> world"-type programs.
>
> That was exactly the same conclusion we came to, although at our school the
> competition uses Vexx components and is designed by local engineers. And
> we've had some success following the approach you suggest.
>
>>
>> Vern, I was very inspired by your PyCon talk on teaching programming
>> with the Scribbler. ?I know people have had success with it, it looks
>
> I'm glad to hear that, I'm going to give essentially the same talk at ISTE
> on Monday (thanks to the Python Software Foundation board for supporting
> that trip financially!), and I'll report back if I get any interesting
> feedback.
>>
>> like a great robot to teach with. ?For our budget however, getting a
>> bunch of these would be a stretch (I think the scribbler + fluke board
>> combo costs $140 -- is this correct?). ?You do need the Fluke board
>> unless you want to program it in BASIC Stamp or their GUI, right?
>
> You are pretty much right on all counts, except that the Scribbler/Fluke
> combo is more like $180. Depending on numbers it still might be worth it to
> work in teams of 2-4, although that does have its downside. The scribbler
> isn't perfect, but it's pretty darned good for the cost.
> Cheers and good luck (and by all means, keep us posted).
> Vern
>>
>> I've seen some cheaper mini-robots but I'm not sure if they're any
>> good. ?Does anyone have suggestions?
>>
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Blake Elias
>> _______________________________________________
>> Edu-sig mailing list
>> Edu-sig at python.org
>> http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
>
>
>
> --
> Vern Ceder
> vceder at gmail.com, vceder at dogsinmotion.com
> The Quick Python Book, 2nd Ed - http://bit.ly/bRsWDW
>
>
>

From vceder at gmail.com  Fri Jun 24 18:16:28 2011
From: vceder at gmail.com (Vern Ceder)
Date: Fri, 24 Jun 2011 11:16:28 -0500
Subject: [Edu-sig] Inexpensive robot teaching platforms
In-Reply-To: <BANLkTinfYPAdAzRGUm-k+No0Td_7BBoOJA@mail.gmail.com>
References: <BANLkTim1_ohHJM2zYP9wjT8c+Q75=5EamA@mail.gmail.com>
	<BANLkTikseNjO3iMp-_QaUSUWap0jYpLDxw@mail.gmail.com>
	<BANLkTinfYPAdAzRGUm-k+No0Td_7BBoOJA@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <BANLkTi=FPFozE-QnerfS2+Uc0zZBd51hKw@mail.gmail.com>

Definitely looks promising. Keep us posted and good luck!

Vern

On Fri, Jun 24, 2011 at 11:09 AM, Blake Elias <blakeelias at gmail.com> wrote:

> Right now we're leaning towards the Adventure Bot:
>
> http://custobots.com/products/adventure-bot-rs005
>
> It's quite a bit cheaper at $80.  Though it doesn't have nearly as
> many sensors, they'll still be able to do some cool things.  And we
> can afford more of them so the kids can work in smaller groups.  With
> the small amount of time we have to teach, I'm not sure we'd even get
> a chance to use the Scribbler's additional capabilities like camera
> processing.
>
> Once they see the basics on the small robot, they'll be able to play a
> little bit with the larger ones we build for the competition, which
> weigh 120 lbs and have more functions.  Those just aren't great
> teaching tools in the beginning because they take up more space and we
> don't have enough of them for kids to work in groups of 1-3.
>
> Blake Elias
>
>
>
> On Fri, Jun 24, 2011 at 1:16 AM, Vern Ceder <vceder at gmail.com> wrote:
> > Hi Blake,
> >
> > On Thu, Jun 23, 2011 at 10:40 PM, Blake Elias <blakeelias at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> >>
> >> My high school competes in the FIRST Robotics Competition.  Every year
> >> we have to teach new members basic robotics and programming concepts,
> >> to get them excited and prepared for the heat of competition.  Those
> >> who have the patience stay with it and have a great time, but we
> >> always lose a bunch of people partly because the lessons are not very
> >> interesting or useful.  I believe the solution is to teach with small
> >> robots, instead of just writing on the board and doing "hello
> >> world"-type programs.
> >
> > That was exactly the same conclusion we came to, although at our school
> the
> > competition uses Vexx components and is designed by local engineers. And
> > we've had some success following the approach you suggest.
> >
> >>
> >> Vern, I was very inspired by your PyCon talk on teaching programming
> >> with the Scribbler.  I know people have had success with it, it looks
> >
> > I'm glad to hear that, I'm going to give essentially the same talk at
> ISTE
> > on Monday (thanks to the Python Software Foundation board for supporting
> > that trip financially!), and I'll report back if I get any interesting
> > feedback.
> >>
> >> like a great robot to teach with.  For our budget however, getting a
> >> bunch of these would be a stretch (I think the scribbler + fluke board
> >> combo costs $140 -- is this correct?).  You do need the Fluke board
> >> unless you want to program it in BASIC Stamp or their GUI, right?
> >
> > You are pretty much right on all counts, except that the Scribbler/Fluke
> > combo is more like $180. Depending on numbers it still might be worth it
> to
> > work in teams of 2-4, although that does have its downside. The scribbler
> > isn't perfect, but it's pretty darned good for the cost.
> > Cheers and good luck (and by all means, keep us posted).
> > Vern
> >>
> >> I've seen some cheaper mini-robots but I'm not sure if they're any
> >> good.  Does anyone have suggestions?
> >>
> >>
> >> Thanks,
> >> Blake Elias
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> Edu-sig mailing list
> >> Edu-sig at python.org
> >> http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> > Vern Ceder
> > vceder at gmail.com, vceder at dogsinmotion.com
> > The Quick Python Book, 2nd Ed - http://bit.ly/bRsWDW
> >
> >
> >
>



-- 
Vern Ceder
vceder at gmail.com, vceder at dogsinmotion.com
The Quick Python Book, 2nd Ed - http://bit.ly/bRsWDW
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From mamckenna at sch.ci.lexington.ma.us  Sat Jun 25 12:00:48 2011
From: mamckenna at sch.ci.lexington.ma.us (Marianne McKenna)
Date: Sat, 25 Jun 2011 06:00:48 -0400
Subject: [Edu-sig] Edu-sig Digest, Vol 95, Issue 14
Message-ID: <fc.0119ed2a0308d5e13b9aca0061a4d03a.308d5e2@sch.ci.lexington.ma.us>

I will be out of the office until June 27th.  Please contact your building
techsupport for help.  If it's an emergency please contact Paul Musto or
Patricia Hunter in the computer center.   Many Thanks!

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From ajudkis at verizon.net  Sat Jun 25 15:14:48 2011
From: ajudkis at verizon.net (Andy Judkis)
Date: Sat, 25 Jun 2011 09:14:48 -0400
Subject: [Edu-sig] Inexpensive robot teaching platforms
In-Reply-To: <mailman.11.1308996001.16639.edu-sig@python.org>
References: <mailman.11.1308996001.16639.edu-sig@python.org>
Message-ID: <4E05DF48.6070701@verizon.net>

Here's another possibility, 100 bucks, programmable in Jython along with 
several other languages:

http://www.finchrobot.com/

Temp sensor, accelerometer, two IR sensors, two photodetectors.  No 
batteries, it's powered off it's 15 foot USB cable, not sure if that's a 
bug or a feature.
I haven't actually seen or used one.

Cheers,
Andy



From kirby.urner at gmail.com  Sat Jun 25 19:52:43 2011
From: kirby.urner at gmail.com (kirby urner)
Date: Sat, 25 Jun 2011 10:52:43 -0700
Subject: [Edu-sig] Inexpensive robot teaching platforms
In-Reply-To: <4E05DF48.6070701@verizon.net>
References: <mailman.11.1308996001.16639.edu-sig@python.org>
	<4E05DF48.6070701@verizon.net>
Message-ID: <BANLkTikWz7unisOLAXC-zE-L2F2WWmPXgg@mail.gmail.com>

Fun to enhance robotics threads with science fiction, to give
it more texture.

My Martian Math class last summer focused on Python,
but also the Mars probes (watched some Youtubes [1]),
sometimes called robots, though remotely piloted, not
autonomous (the case with many robots, including bomb
removal and undersea oil work).

The robots in War of the Worlds ("tripods") were actually
piloted as well, and were defended against only ineffectually
by humans (Tom Cruise included), eventually succumbed
to the "immune system" of Gaia herself.  The alien pilots
had no immunity to Earthian germs (why should they?).[2]

Having an object oriented language at one's elbow is really
handy, as then it becomes easier to think in terms of
attributes and behaviors (methods) as discrete, well-
defined Python modules.  Although hardware is wonderful
when you can afford it, a "sensor" in software might still
be modeled.

My Tractor class has a Sensor subclass that "reads" the
8 cells in its neighborhood (N NW W SW S SE E NE).
This would be ASCII bytes in a 2d array (a Farm object).
A Tractor is nothing more than a simplified Turtle, exploring
a new space of metaphors (there's also a fuel burning
aspect -- Tractors run out of gas, much as robots may
run out of battery power unless recharged).[3][4]

Kirby

[1]  http://www.4dsolutions.net/satacad/martianmath/mm22.html
[2]  http://www.4dsolutions.net/satacad/martianmath/mm30.html
[3]  http://www.4dsolutions.net/ocn/python/OST/lifegame.py
[4]  http://www.4dsolutions.net/ocn/python/OST/farmworld.py
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From missive at hotmail.com  Sun Jun 26 00:18:29 2011
From: missive at hotmail.com (Lee Harr)
Date: Sun, 26 Jun 2011 02:48:29 +0430
Subject: [Edu-sig] [ANNC] pynguin-0.10  python turtle graphics application
Message-ID: <SNT106-W60E87AA109E6736C15EECAB1550@phx.gbl>


Pynguin is a python-based turtle graphics application.
??? It combines an editor, interactive interpreter, and
??? graphics display area.

It is meant to be an easy environment for introducing
??? some programming concepts to beginning programmers.


http://pynguin.googlecode.com/


This release continues to expand basic functionality and
??? explores more user-friendly options in the interface.


Pynguin is tested with Python 2.7.1 and PyQt 4.8.3 and
??? will use Pygments syntax highlighting if available.

Pynguin is released under GPLv3.


Changes in pynguin-0.10:
??? Session
??????? - can now save to or load from directory instead of a file
??????? - remember drawing speed between sessions
??????? - remember avatar setting between sessions

??? Pynguin API
??????? - allow setting drawing speed from code
??????? - add xyforward(dist) method to return coords dist ahead of pynguin
??????? - reset() is more thorough restoring pynguin to initial state
??????? - handle input() and raw_input() properly
??????? - simple onclick() handler only affects the main pynguin
??????????? - onclick() responds to right-click now (not left-click)

??? Canvas
??????? - use left mouse button to pan/drag the canvas
??????? - mouse wheel zooms around cursor
??????? - added menu entries and shortcuts for panning canvas
??????? - added menu item for tracking pynguin
??????? - recenter canvas on home() and reset()
??????? - fixed crash on startup when pynguin tracking is enabled
??????? - all canvas related shortcuts now use Alt-<key>

??? Integrated Editor
??????? - added ability to open plain python files
??????????? - can monitor file for changes made in external editor
??????? - removed "Remove" button from under editor
??????? - added warning when removing page with menu option
??????? - all editor related shortcuts now use Ctrl-<key>
??????? - Ctrl-N is now for new editor page, not new Pynguin file
??????? - added shortcuts for switching docs
??????? - added shortcut for Test/run code

??? Integrated Console
??????? - added Ctrl-<space> shortcut to toggle between editor/console

??? Examples
??????? - improved threaded examples
??????????? - can start pynguin moving in one separate thread and
??????????????? get cursor back to do something else in a new thread
??????? - improved multi examples
??????????? - implements the same bugs() example as the threaded
??????????????? example but in a different style

??? General
??????? - synchronize fill menu items when using fill() and nofill()
??????? - synchronize pen menu items when using penup() and pendown()
??????? - fixed crash trying to open non-existent file
??????? - fixed crash trying to save to non-writeable file
??????? - experimental .deb distribution format

 		 	   		  

From mamckenna at sch.ci.lexington.ma.us  Sun Jun 26 12:00:31 2011
From: mamckenna at sch.ci.lexington.ma.us (Marianne McKenna)
Date: Sun, 26 Jun 2011 06:00:31 -0400
Subject: [Edu-sig] Edu-sig Digest, Vol 95, Issue 15
Message-ID: <fc.0119ed2a0308e1fa3b9aca006c13925f.308e1fb@sch.ci.lexington.ma.us>

I will be out of the office until June 27th.  Please contact your building
techsupport for help.  If it's an emergency please contact Paul Musto or
Patricia Hunter in the computer center.   Many Thanks!

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From philhwagner at gmail.com  Tue Jun 28 01:40:06 2011
From: philhwagner at gmail.com (Phil Wagner)
Date: Mon, 27 Jun 2011 16:40:06 -0700
Subject: [Edu-sig] ISTE Education Conference Robotics and Python
Message-ID: <BANLkTik0N5s0nhE3HbpZO7ow3CHenq8c8Q@mail.gmail.com>

Our very own Vern Ceder had a wonderful presentation at the ISTE Education
conference in Philadelphia, PA today. The talk was on the Scribbler Robot
system and controlling it with Python. Robots+Python = Nirvana for me.
Thanks for bringing this to a wider audience and getting the word out there
about STEM and Python.

I am sorry that I had to leave early for my own presentation, so I was
wondering if you wouldn't mind sharing your presentation slides with us.

Thanks again, it was a pleasure to see you in person and be inspired!

Phil Wagner
Education Resources Blog: www.brokenairplane.com
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From roberto03 at gmail.com  Tue Jun 28 09:08:03 2011
From: roberto03 at gmail.com (roberto)
Date: Tue, 28 Jun 2011 09:08:03 +0200
Subject: [Edu-sig] ISTE Education Conference Robotics and Python
In-Reply-To: <BANLkTik0N5s0nhE3HbpZO7ow3CHenq8c8Q@mail.gmail.com>
References: <BANLkTik0N5s0nhE3HbpZO7ow3CHenq8c8Q@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <BANLkTikPSNjQ3P823rBgHCWh2HJUw5UWCg@mail.gmail.com>

I am really interested in this talk, as a robotics-in-education &&
python addict.


On Tuesday, June 28, 2011, Phil Wagner <philhwagner at gmail.com> wrote:
> Our very own Vern Ceder had a wonderful presentation at the ISTE Education
> conference in Philadelphia, PA today. The talk was on the Scribbler Robot
> system and controlling it with Python. Robots+Python = Nirvana for me.
> Thanks for bringing this to a wider audience and getting the word out there
> about STEM and Python.
>
> I am sorry that I had to leave early for my own presentation, so I was
> wondering if you wouldn't mind sharing your presentation slides with us.
>
> Thanks again, it was a pleasure to see you in person and be inspired!
>
> Phil Wagner
> Education Resources Blog:?www.brokenairplane.com?<http://www.brokenairplane.com/>
>
>
>

-- 
roberto

From lac at openend.se  Tue Jun 28 09:42:34 2011
From: lac at openend.se (Laura Creighton)
Date: Tue, 28 Jun 2011 09:42:34 +0200
Subject: [Edu-sig] Robots -- this showed up in pypy-dev today
Message-ID: <201106280742.p5S7gYbR017959@theraft.openend.se>

I'm still not sure what they used pypy for.

Laura
------- Forwarded Message

Replied: Tue, 28 Jun 2011 09:34:39 +0200
Replied: lac
From: Andres Aguirre <aguirrea at gmail.com>
To: pypy-dev at codespeak.net
Cc: Jorge <xxopxe at gmail.com>
Subject: [pypy-dev] butialo activity

Hi to everyone.
There's a new activit, I hope that most of you will enjoy, it's called
Butialo (http://activities.sugarlabs.org/en-US/sugar/addon/4457)
Butialo is a IDE based on PyPy that allows programming the Buti=E1 robot
(http://www.fing.edu.uy/inco/proyectos/butia/)
with Lua. Lua is a very fast, powerfull and easy to use language. The
IDE provides autodetects the configuration of your Butia robot, and
provides snippets of code showing how to read sensors and do stuff.
Best regards

- -- =

/\ndr=E9s
_______________________________________________
pypy-dev mailing list
pypy-dev at python.org
http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/pypy-dev

------- End of Forwarded Message


From vceder at gmail.com  Tue Jun 28 14:21:32 2011
From: vceder at gmail.com (Vern Ceder)
Date: Tue, 28 Jun 2011 07:21:32 -0500
Subject: [Edu-sig] ISTE Education Conference Robotics and Python
In-Reply-To: <BANLkTik0N5s0nhE3HbpZO7ow3CHenq8c8Q@mail.gmail.com>
References: <BANLkTik0N5s0nhE3HbpZO7ow3CHenq8c8Q@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <BANLkTinPRvY31B2riYLGtC-eQiLFdmMmgQ@mail.gmail.com>

Thanks for the kind words, Phil. It was great to put a face to another
edu-sig name!

I've posted my write-up at
http://learnpython.wordpress.com/2011/06/28/iste-python-and-robots/

Overall my sense was that interest in open source software and Python was
down from past  years, but that may not be true - I was in and out in just a
few hours.

Cheers,
Vern

On Mon, Jun 27, 2011 at 6:40 PM, Phil Wagner <philhwagner at gmail.com> wrote:

> Our very own Vern Ceder had a wonderful presentation at the ISTE Education
> conference in Philadelphia, PA today. The talk was on the Scribbler Robot
> system and controlling it with Python. Robots+Python = Nirvana for me.
> Thanks for bringing this to a wider audience and getting the word out there
> about STEM and Python.
>
> I am sorry that I had to leave early for my own presentation, so I was
> wondering if you wouldn't mind sharing your presentation slides with us.
>
> Thanks again, it was a pleasure to see you in person and be inspired!
>
> Phil Wagner
> Education Resources Blog: www.brokenairplane.com
>
> _______________________________________________
> Edu-sig mailing list
> Edu-sig at python.org
> http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
>
>


-- 
Vern Ceder
vceder at gmail.com, vceder at dogsinmotion.com
The Quick Python Book, 2nd Ed - http://bit.ly/bRsWDW
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From aharrin at luc.edu  Wed Jun 29 17:03:28 2011
From: aharrin at luc.edu (Andrew Harrington)
Date: Wed, 29 Jun 2011 10:03:28 -0500
Subject: [Edu-sig] Fwd: [SIGCSE-members] Python environment - web based?
In-Reply-To: <20110629102035.bn2prwqo000ssws4@webmail.opentransfer.com>
References: <4E0A03EA.7040101@merrimack.edu>
	<BANLkTin3cP-VACvpe2=mAhqq=Rzd4fc8XQ@mail.gmail.com>
	<4E0A7DA8.3000002@cs.uwaterloo.ca>
	<20110629102035.bn2prwqo000ssws4@webmail.opentransfer.com>
Message-ID: <BANLkTikJWrzTvGXcAT+9+uDxPVRHHgTJ4g@mail.gmail.com>

This is a good subject to revisit, on web based Python.  I like his interest
in Python+math, too.
Andy

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Matt Brenner <mbrenner at csteachlearn.com>
Date: Wed, Jun 29, 2011 at 9:20 AM
Subject: [SIGCSE-members] Python environment - web based?
To: SIGCSE-members at listserv.acm.org


Hi,

As long as Python environments are on the table...

Does anyone know if there is a web-based Python environment available? I am
working to weave together the traditional, analytical approach to math with
a computational approach. I call the approach CAAMPS (Computationally
Augmented Approach to Math and Problem Solving). The first implementation
will be for sixth grade public schools with average, high-stakes math scores
in the 2nd quartile (25th - 50th percentiles).

Getting software installed on K-12 computers can be very difficult. To avoid
that collection of problems, I would like to be able to host a development
environment on my own servers, so the students will need nothing more than a
web browser (and Internet connection). Does anyone know of any off-the-shelf
solutions? Though I'm leaning toward Python, I'm not yet committed.

By the way, I previously posted a link to a long essay, "The Four Pillars
Upon Which the Failure of Math Education Rests (and what to do about them),"
describing the state of math education and the basis for CAAMPS:

    www.k12math.org/doc.php?doc=**4pillars-si<http://www.k12math.org/doc.php?doc=4pillars-si>

In the interest of brevity, I have boiled it down in an Executive Summary:

    www.k12math.org/doc.php?doc=**4pillars-summary-si<http://www.k12math.org/doc.php?doc=4pillars-summary-si>

Comments are always appreciated.


Cheers,
Matt



-- 
Dr. Andrew N. Harrington
  Computer Science Department
  Loyola University Chicago
  512B Lewis Towers (office)
  Snail mail to Lewis Towers 416
  820 North Michigan Avenue
  Chicago, Illinois 60611
http://www.cs.luc.edu/~anh
Phone: 312-915-7982
Fax:    312-915-7998
aharrin at luc.edu
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From mary.dooms at comcast.net  Thu Jun 30 01:15:42 2011
From: mary.dooms at comcast.net (mary.dooms at comcast.net)
Date: Wed, 29 Jun 2011 23:15:42 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: [Edu-sig] Python and pre-algebra
In-Reply-To: <1123843988.33836.1309389251394.JavaMail.root@sz0057a.emeryville.ca.mail.comcast.net>
Message-ID: <1559946252.33901.1309389342602.JavaMail.root@sz0057a.emeryville.ca.mail.comcast.net>


I teach 6th grade math and Python was suggested as a way to apply pre-algebra concepts in a programming context. My programming background consists of one C++ programming class. How do I begin? Are lesson plans and small programs available, for example, where students could write and "drop in" a script that includes integers and the output would not only calculate it, but see the relevance of it in a real world situation? 


Or, perhaps, the program controls a "wheelchair" robot and students would write scripts to drive the robot at a certain speed considering the slope of a ramp? 


As you can see, I am a novice, but I see great potential and am willing to learn. 


Thanks, 

Mary 
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From kirby.urner at gmail.com  Thu Jun 30 07:50:25 2011
From: kirby.urner at gmail.com (kirby urner)
Date: Wed, 29 Jun 2011 22:50:25 -0700
Subject: [Edu-sig] Python and pre-algebra
In-Reply-To: <1559946252.33901.1309389342602.JavaMail.root@sz0057a.emeryville.ca.mail.comcast.net>
References: <1123843988.33836.1309389251394.JavaMail.root@sz0057a.emeryville.ca.mail.comcast.net>
	<1559946252.33901.1309389342602.JavaMail.root@sz0057a.emeryville.ca.mail.comcast.net>
Message-ID: <BANLkTikxVffq1YKh9DA45xrLv=c7cuqqXg@mail.gmail.com>

Hi Mary --

Many subscribers to edu-sig have developed interesting approaches over the
years.

There's a lot of interest in turtle art and/or turtle graphics.  There's
this tendency to divide algebra from geometry, whereas some teachers think
it's important to keep lexical and graphical connected.

To that end, my pre-algebra tends to focus on numeric sequences that have a
clear geometric meaning (like triangular and square numbers, but I also take
it into volume and growth sequences in space -- polyhedral numbers some call
these sequences).

You'll get the flavor my approach from the Oregon Curriculum Network web
site, this page in particular, and this essay in particular:

http://www.4dsolutions.net/ocn/cp4e.html

http://www.4dsolutions.net/ocn/numeracy0.html

I'm guessing others will chime in.

Python's 'How to Think Like a Computer Scientist' literature, a free
syllabus, is not inconsistent with developing skills in algebra.

If you want to be more serious and formal about "object oriented" and link
in a notion of "math objects", I recommend spiraling through the same or
similar material with that in mind.

They may not be ready for vector objects tomorrow, but perhaps the day
after.

Polyhedrons are stellar objects because they're both abstract and concrete
in their properties and behaviors.

Algebra and geometric shapes are good friends, or should be, starting with
such as V + F == E + 2.

Kirby


On Wed, Jun 29, 2011 at 4:15 PM, <mary.dooms at comcast.net> wrote:

> I teach 6th grade math and Python was suggested as a way to apply
> pre-algebra concepts in a programming context. My programming background
> consists of one C++ programming class. How do I begin? Are lesson plans and
> small programs available, for example, where students could write and "drop
> in" a script that includes integers and the output would not only calculate
> it, but see the relevance of it in a real world situation?
> *
> *
> *Or, perhaps, the program controls a "wheelchair" robot and students would
> write scripts to drive the robot at a certain speed considering the slope of
> a ramp?*
> *
> *
> *As you can see, I am a novice, but I see great potential and am willing
> to learn.*
> *
> *
> *Thanks,*
> *
> *
> *Mary*
>
> _______________________________________________
> Edu-sig mailing list
> Edu-sig at python.org
> http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
>
>
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From malkocb at gmail.com  Thu Jun 30 08:40:39 2011
From: malkocb at gmail.com (Berkin Malkoc)
Date: Thu, 30 Jun 2011 09:40:39 +0300
Subject: [Edu-sig] Fwd: [SIGCSE-members] Python environment - web based?
In-Reply-To: <BANLkTikJWrzTvGXcAT+9+uDxPVRHHgTJ4g@mail.gmail.com>
References: <4E0A03EA.7040101@merrimack.edu>
	<BANLkTin3cP-VACvpe2=mAhqq=Rzd4fc8XQ@mail.gmail.com>
	<4E0A7DA8.3000002@cs.uwaterloo.ca>
	<20110629102035.bn2prwqo000ssws4@webmail.opentransfer.com>
	<BANLkTikJWrzTvGXcAT+9+uDxPVRHHgTJ4g@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <BANLkTi=rA9pZ7GnAy+8AiJw_WK1LsmYDXQ@mail.gmail.com>

On Wed, Jun 29, 2011 at 6:03 PM, Andrew Harrington <aharrin at luc.edu> wrote:

> This is a good subject to revisit, on web based Python.  I like his
> interest in Python+math, too.
> Andy
>

Getting software installed on K-12 computers can be very difficult. To avoid
> that collection of problems, I would like to be able to host a development
> environment on my own servers, so the students will need nothing more than a
> web browser (and Internet connection). Does anyone know of any off-the-shelf
> solutions? Though I'm leaning toward Python, I'm not yet committed.
>

Sage [1] can be a great option in these kind of situations. It can be tried
online [2] and there are a couple of places [3] where you are guided through
the process of setting up your own Sage servers.

Regards,
Berkin

[1] http://www.sagemath.org
[2] http://www.sagenb.org/
[3] http://wiki.sagemath.org/DanDrake/JustEnoughSageServer
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From scboesch at gmail.com  Thu Jun 30 09:02:22 2011
From: scboesch at gmail.com (Chris Boesch)
Date: Thu, 30 Jun 2011 15:02:22 +0800
Subject: [Edu-sig] Python environment - web based?
In-Reply-To: <mailman.2578.1309416042.1163.edu-sig@python.org>
References: <mailman.2578.1309416042.1163.edu-sig@python.org>
Message-ID: <A3E53F94-A594-4657-80BA-C4187824C35B@gmail.com>

Hi Matt, 

If your or anyone has an idea of the problems that they would like to see algebra students solving with python, I can volunteer to help create a Singpath.com path focused on algebra. There are already a lot of math problems in the Beginner Python path (drag-n-drop python) and the main Python path (write 3 to 10 line python solutions). 

In Singpath you wouldn't get to see graphical results, but everything would be web-based on work from most browsers ( not IE).

Best Regards, 
Chris Boesch
Associate Professor of Information Systems (Practice)
Singapore Management University
cboesch at smu.edu.sg


On 30-Jun-2011, at 2:40 PM, edu-sig-request at python.org wrote:

> Send Edu-sig mailing list submissions to
> 	edu-sig at python.org
> 
> To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
> 	http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
> or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
> 	edu-sig-request at python.org
> 
> You can reach the person managing the list at
> 	edu-sig-owner at python.org
> 
> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
> than "Re: Contents of Edu-sig digest..."
> 
> 
> Today's Topics:
> 
>   1. Fwd: [SIGCSE-members] Python environment - web based?
>      (Andrew Harrington)
>   2. Python and pre-algebra (mary.dooms at comcast.net)
>   3. Re: Python and pre-algebra (kirby urner)
>   4. Re: Fwd: [SIGCSE-members] Python environment - web based?
>      (Berkin Malkoc)
> 
> 
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Message: 1
> Date: Wed, 29 Jun 2011 10:03:28 -0500
> From: Andrew Harrington <aharrin at luc.edu>
> To: edu-sig at python.org
> Subject: [Edu-sig] Fwd: [SIGCSE-members] Python environment - web
> 	based?
> Message-ID: <BANLkTikJWrzTvGXcAT+9+uDxPVRHHgTJ4g at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
> 
> This is a good subject to revisit, on web based Python.  I like his interest
> in Python+math, too.
> Andy
> 
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: Matt Brenner <mbrenner at csteachlearn.com>
> Date: Wed, Jun 29, 2011 at 9:20 AM
> Subject: [SIGCSE-members] Python environment - web based?
> To: SIGCSE-members at listserv.acm.org
> 
> 
> Hi,
> 
> As long as Python environments are on the table...
> 
> Does anyone know if there is a web-based Python environment available? I am
> working to weave together the traditional, analytical approach to math with
> a computational approach. I call the approach CAAMPS (Computationally
> Augmented Approach to Math and Problem Solving). The first implementation
> will be for sixth grade public schools with average, high-stakes math scores
> in the 2nd quartile (25th - 50th percentiles).
> 
> Getting software installed on K-12 computers can be very difficult. To avoid
> that collection of problems, I would like to be able to host a development
> environment on my own servers, so the students will need nothing more than a
> web browser (and Internet connection). Does anyone know of any off-the-shelf
> solutions? Though I'm leaning toward Python, I'm not yet committed.
> 
> By the way, I previously posted a link to a long essay, "The Four Pillars
> Upon Which the Failure of Math Education Rests (and what to do about them),"
> describing the state of math education and the basis for CAAMPS:
> 
>    www.k12math.org/doc.php?doc=**4pillars-si<http://www.k12math.org/doc.php?doc=4pillars-si>
> 
> In the interest of brevity, I have boiled it down in an Executive Summary:
> 
>    www.k12math.org/doc.php?doc=**4pillars-summary-si<http://www.k12math.org/doc.php?doc=4pillars-summary-si>
> 
> Comments are always appreciated.
> 
> 
> Cheers,
> Matt
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> Dr. Andrew N. Harrington
>  Computer Science Department
>  Loyola University Chicago
>  512B Lewis Towers (office)
>  Snail mail to Lewis Towers 416
>  820 North Michigan Avenue
>  Chicago, Illinois 60611
> http://www.cs.luc.edu/~anh
> Phone: 312-915-7982
> Fax:    312-915-7998
> aharrin at luc.edu
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> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 2
> Date: Wed, 29 Jun 2011 23:15:42 +0000 (UTC)
> From: mary.dooms at comcast.net
> To: edu-sig at python.org
> Subject: [Edu-sig] Python and pre-algebra
> Message-ID:
> 	<1559946252.33901.1309389342602.JavaMail.root at sz0057a.emeryville.ca.mail.comcast.net>
> 	
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
> 
> 
> I teach 6th grade math and Python was suggested as a way to apply pre-algebra concepts in a programming context. My programming background consists of one C++ programming class. How do I begin? Are lesson plans and small programs available, for example, where students could write and "drop in" a script that includes integers and the output would not only calculate it, but see the relevance of it in a real world situation? 
> 
> 
> Or, perhaps, the program controls a "wheelchair" robot and students would write scripts to drive the robot at a certain speed considering the slope of a ramp? 
> 
> 
> As you can see, I am a novice, but I see great potential and am willing to learn. 
> 
> 
> Thanks, 
> 
> Mary 
> -------------- next part --------------
> An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
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> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 3
> Date: Wed, 29 Jun 2011 22:50:25 -0700
> From: kirby urner <kirby.urner at gmail.com>
> To: edu-sig at python.org
> Subject: Re: [Edu-sig] Python and pre-algebra
> Message-ID: <BANLkTikxVffq1YKh9DA45xrLv=c7cuqqXg at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
> 
> Hi Mary --
> 
> Many subscribers to edu-sig have developed interesting approaches over the
> years.
> 
> There's a lot of interest in turtle art and/or turtle graphics.  There's
> this tendency to divide algebra from geometry, whereas some teachers think
> it's important to keep lexical and graphical connected.
> 
> To that end, my pre-algebra tends to focus on numeric sequences that have a
> clear geometric meaning (like triangular and square numbers, but I also take
> it into volume and growth sequences in space -- polyhedral numbers some call
> these sequences).
> 
> You'll get the flavor my approach from the Oregon Curriculum Network web
> site, this page in particular, and this essay in particular:
> 
> http://www.4dsolutions.net/ocn/cp4e.html
> 
> http://www.4dsolutions.net/ocn/numeracy0.html
> 
> I'm guessing others will chime in.
> 
> Python's 'How to Think Like a Computer Scientist' literature, a free
> syllabus, is not inconsistent with developing skills in algebra.
> 
> If you want to be more serious and formal about "object oriented" and link
> in a notion of "math objects", I recommend spiraling through the same or
> similar material with that in mind.
> 
> They may not be ready for vector objects tomorrow, but perhaps the day
> after.
> 
> Polyhedrons are stellar objects because they're both abstract and concrete
> in their properties and behaviors.
> 
> Algebra and geometric shapes are good friends, or should be, starting with
> such as V + F == E + 2.
> 
> Kirby
> 
> 
> On Wed, Jun 29, 2011 at 4:15 PM, <mary.dooms at comcast.net> wrote:
> 
>> I teach 6th grade math and Python was suggested as a way to apply
>> pre-algebra concepts in a programming context. My programming background
>> consists of one C++ programming class. How do I begin? Are lesson plans and
>> small programs available, for example, where students could write and "drop
>> in" a script that includes integers and the output would not only calculate
>> it, but see the relevance of it in a real world situation?
>> *
>> *
>> *Or, perhaps, the program controls a "wheelchair" robot and students would
>> write scripts to drive the robot at a certain speed considering the slope of
>> a ramp?*
>> *
>> *
>> *As you can see, I am a novice, but I see great potential and am willing
>> to learn.*
>> *
>> *
>> *Thanks,*
>> *
>> *
>> *Mary*
>> 
>> _______________________________________________
>> Edu-sig mailing list
>> Edu-sig at python.org
>> http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
>> 
>> 
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> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 4
> Date: Thu, 30 Jun 2011 09:40:39 +0300
> From: Berkin Malkoc <malkocb at gmail.com>
> To: Andrew Harrington <aharrin at luc.edu>
> Cc: edu-sig at python.org
> Subject: Re: [Edu-sig] Fwd: [SIGCSE-members] Python environment - web
> 	based?
> Message-ID: <BANLkTi=rA9pZ7GnAy+8AiJw_WK1LsmYDXQ at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
> 
> On Wed, Jun 29, 2011 at 6:03 PM, Andrew Harrington <aharrin at luc.edu> wrote:
> 
>> This is a good subject to revisit, on web based Python.  I like his
>> interest in Python+math, too.
>> Andy
>> 
> 
> Getting software installed on K-12 computers can be very difficult. To avoid
>> that collection of problems, I would like to be able to host a development
>> environment on my own servers, so the students will need nothing more than a
>> web browser (and Internet connection). Does anyone know of any off-the-shelf
>> solutions? Though I'm leaning toward Python, I'm not yet committed.
>> 
> 
> Sage [1] can be a great option in these kind of situations. It can be tried
> online [2] and there are a couple of places [3] where you are guided through
> the process of setting up your own Sage servers.
> 
> Regards,
> Berkin
> 
> [1] http://www.sagemath.org
> [2] http://www.sagenb.org/
> [3] http://wiki.sagemath.org/DanDrake/JustEnoughSageServer
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> 
> _______________________________________________
> Edu-sig mailing list
> Edu-sig at python.org
> http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
> 
> 
> End of Edu-sig Digest, Vol 95, Issue 19
> ***************************************

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From vceder at gmail.com  Thu Jun 30 14:02:35 2011
From: vceder at gmail.com (Vern Ceder)
Date: Thu, 30 Jun 2011 07:02:35 -0500
Subject: [Edu-sig] Python and pre-algebra
In-Reply-To: <BANLkTikxVffq1YKh9DA45xrLv=c7cuqqXg@mail.gmail.com>
References: <1123843988.33836.1309389251394.JavaMail.root@sz0057a.emeryville.ca.mail.comcast.net>
	<1559946252.33901.1309389342602.JavaMail.root@sz0057a.emeryville.ca.mail.comcast.net>
	<BANLkTikxVffq1YKh9DA45xrLv=c7cuqqXg@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <BANLkTi=fP5Sac=481KvKQBM-r75ZU7n3LQ@mail.gmail.com>

Welcome Mary.

Mary first posted her question on my blog post about ISTE, so I sent her
here, thinking of the work that many of you have been doing. In addition to
Kirby, Andy Harrington has been looking at Python and algebra and I know
there were others.

I hope some of us can help you out.

Cheers,
Vern

On Thu, Jun 30, 2011 at 12:50 AM, kirby urner <kirby.urner at gmail.com> wrote:

>
> Hi Mary --
>
> Many subscribers to edu-sig have developed interesting approaches over the
> years.
>
> There's a lot of interest in turtle art and/or turtle graphics.  There's
> this tendency to divide algebra from geometry, whereas some teachers think
> it's important to keep lexical and graphical connected.
>
> To that end, my pre-algebra tends to focus on numeric sequences that have a
> clear geometric meaning (like triangular and square numbers, but I also take
> it into volume and growth sequences in space -- polyhedral numbers some call
> these sequences).
>
> You'll get the flavor my approach from the Oregon Curriculum Network web
> site, this page in particular, and this essay in particular:
>
> http://www.4dsolutions.net/ocn/cp4e.html
>
> http://www.4dsolutions.net/ocn/numeracy0.html
>
> I'm guessing others will chime in.
>
> Python's 'How to Think Like a Computer Scientist' literature, a free
> syllabus, is not inconsistent with developing skills in algebra.
>
> If you want to be more serious and formal about "object oriented" and link
> in a notion of "math objects", I recommend spiraling through the same or
> similar material with that in mind.
>
> They may not be ready for vector objects tomorrow, but perhaps the day
> after.
>
> Polyhedrons are stellar objects because they're both abstract and concrete
> in their properties and behaviors.
>
> Algebra and geometric shapes are good friends, or should be, starting with
> such as V + F == E + 2.
>
> Kirby
>
>
> On Wed, Jun 29, 2011 at 4:15 PM, <mary.dooms at comcast.net> wrote:
>
>> I teach 6th grade math and Python was suggested as a way to apply
>> pre-algebra concepts in a programming context. My programming background
>> consists of one C++ programming class. How do I begin? Are lesson plans and
>> small programs available, for example, where students could write and "drop
>> in" a script that includes integers and the output would not only calculate
>> it, but see the relevance of it in a real world situation?
>> *
>> *
>> *Or, perhaps, the program controls a "wheelchair" robot and students
>> would write scripts to drive the robot at a certain speed considering the
>> slope of a ramp?*
>> *
>> *
>> *As you can see, I am a novice, but I see great potential and am willing
>> to learn.*
>> *
>> *
>> *Thanks,*
>> *
>> *
>> *Mary*
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Edu-sig mailing list
>> Edu-sig at python.org
>> http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
>>
>>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Edu-sig mailing list
> Edu-sig at python.org
> http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
>
>


-- 
Vern Ceder
vceder at gmail.com, vceder at dogsinmotion.com
The Quick Python Book, 2nd Ed - http://bit.ly/bRsWDW
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From vernondcole at gmail.com  Thu Jun 30 17:07:37 2011
From: vernondcole at gmail.com (Vernon Cole)
Date: Thu, 30 Jun 2011 09:07:37 -0600
Subject: [Edu-sig]
	http://www.voidspace.org.uk/ironpython/silverlight/index.shtml#python-interactive-interpreter-in-a-browser
Message-ID: <BANLkTi=VwwNnDXLaYFGZgDZm8wHmyO-mdQ@mail.gmail.com>

If you are interested in running Python code from a web-based form, you need
IronPython and Silverlight (or moonlight on Linux).
IronPython is a full implementation of Python running on the Microsoft CLI
engine.
ironpython in a
browser<http://www.voidspace.org.uk/ironpython/silverlight/index.shtml#python-interactive-interpreter-in-a-browser>
--
Vernon Cole

On Thu, Jun 30, 2011 at 4:00 AM, <edu-sig-request at python.org> wrote:

> Send Edu-sig mailing list submissions to
>        edu-sig at python.org
>
> To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
>        http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
> or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
>        edu-sig-request at python.org
>
> You can reach the person managing the list at
>        edu-sig-owner at python.org
>
> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
> than "Re: Contents of Edu-sig digest..."
>
>
> Today's Topics:
>
>   1. Re: Python environment - web based? (Chris Boesch)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Thu, 30 Jun 2011 15:02:22 +0800
> From: Chris Boesch <scboesch at gmail.com>
> To: edu-sig at python.org
> Subject: Re: [Edu-sig] Python environment - web based?
> Message-ID: <A3E53F94-A594-4657-80BA-C4187824C35B at gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> Hi Matt,
>
> If your or anyone has an idea of the problems that they would like to see
> algebra students solving with python, I can volunteer to help create a
> Singpath.com path focused on algebra. There are already a lot of math
> problems in the Beginner Python path (drag-n-drop python) and the main
> Python path (write 3 to 10 line python solutions).
>
> In Singpath you wouldn't get to see graphical results, but everything would
> be web-based on work from most browsers ( not IE).
>
> Best Regards,
> Chris Boesch
> Associate Professor of Information Systems (Practice)
> Singapore Management University
> cboesch at smu.edu.sg
>
>
> On 30-Jun-2011, at 2:40 PM, edu-sig-request at python.org wrote:
>
> > Send Edu-sig mailing list submissions to
> >       edu-sig at python.org
> >
> > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
> >       http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
> > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
> >       edu-sig-request at python.org
> >
> > You can reach the person managing the list at
> >       edu-sig-owner at python.org
> >
> > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
> > than "Re: Contents of Edu-sig digest..."
> >
> >
> > Today's Topics:
> >
> >   1. Fwd: [SIGCSE-members] Python environment - web based?
> >      (Andrew Harrington)
> >   2. Python and pre-algebra (mary.dooms at comcast.net)
> >   3. Re: Python and pre-algebra (kirby urner)
> >   4. Re: Fwd: [SIGCSE-members] Python environment - web based?
> >      (Berkin Malkoc)
> >
> >
> > ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > Message: 1
> > Date: Wed, 29 Jun 2011 10:03:28 -0500
> > From: Andrew Harrington <aharrin at luc.edu>
> > To: edu-sig at python.org
> > Subject: [Edu-sig] Fwd: [SIGCSE-members] Python environment - web
> >       based?
> > Message-ID: <BANLkTikJWrzTvGXcAT+9+uDxPVRHHgTJ4g at mail.gmail.com>
> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
> >
> > This is a good subject to revisit, on web based Python.  I like his
> interest
> > in Python+math, too.
> > Andy
> >
> > ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> > From: Matt Brenner <mbrenner at csteachlearn.com>
> > Date: Wed, Jun 29, 2011 at 9:20 AM
> > Subject: [SIGCSE-members] Python environment - web based?
> > To: SIGCSE-members at listserv.acm.org
> >
> >
> > Hi,
> >
> > As long as Python environments are on the table...
> >
> > Does anyone know if there is a web-based Python environment available? I
> am
> > working to weave together the traditional, analytical approach to math
> with
> > a computational approach. I call the approach CAAMPS (Computationally
> > Augmented Approach to Math and Problem Solving). The first implementation
> > will be for sixth grade public schools with average, high-stakes math
> scores
> > in the 2nd quartile (25th - 50th percentiles).
> >
> > Getting software installed on K-12 computers can be very difficult. To
> avoid
> > that collection of problems, I would like to be able to host a
> development
> > environment on my own servers, so the students will need nothing more
> than a
> > web browser (and Internet connection). Does anyone know of any
> off-the-shelf
> > solutions? Though I'm leaning toward Python, I'm not yet committed.
> >
> > By the way, I previously posted a link to a long essay, "The Four Pillars
> > Upon Which the Failure of Math Education Rests (and what to do about
> them),"
> > describing the state of math education and the basis for CAAMPS:
> >
> >    www.k12math.org/doc.php?doc=**4pillars-si<
> http://www.k12math.org/doc.php?doc=4pillars-si>
> >
> > In the interest of brevity, I have boiled it down in an Executive
> Summary:
> >
> >    www.k12math.org/doc.php?doc=**4pillars-summary-si<
> http://www.k12math.org/doc.php?doc=4pillars-summary-si>
> >
> > Comments are always appreciated.
> >
> >
> > Cheers,
> > Matt
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> > Dr. Andrew N. Harrington
> >  Computer Science Department
> >  Loyola University Chicago
> >  512B Lewis Towers (office)
> >  Snail mail to Lewis Towers 416
> >  820 North Michigan Avenue
> >  Chicago, Illinois 60611
> > http://www.cs.luc.edu/~anh
> > Phone: 312-915-7982
> > Fax:    312-915-7998
> > aharrin at luc.edu
> > -------------- next part --------------
> > An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
> > URL: <
> http://mail.python.org/pipermail/edu-sig/attachments/20110629/5c277092/attachment-0001.html
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------
> >
> > Message: 2
> > Date: Wed, 29 Jun 2011 23:15:42 +0000 (UTC)
> > From: mary.dooms at comcast.net
> > To: edu-sig at python.org
> > Subject: [Edu-sig] Python and pre-algebra
> > Message-ID:
> >       <
> 1559946252.33901.1309389342602.JavaMail.root at sz0057a.emeryville.ca.mail.comcast.net
> >
> >
> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
> >
> >
> > I teach 6th grade math and Python was suggested as a way to apply
> pre-algebra concepts in a programming context. My programming background
> consists of one C++ programming class. How do I begin? Are lesson plans and
> small programs available, for example, where students could write and "drop
> in" a script that includes integers and the output would not only calculate
> it, but see the relevance of it in a real world situation?
> >
> >
> > Or, perhaps, the program controls a "wheelchair" robot and students would
> write scripts to drive the robot at a certain speed considering the slope of
> a ramp?
> >
> >
> > As you can see, I am a novice, but I see great potential and am willing
> to learn.
> >
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> > Mary
> > -------------- next part --------------
> > An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
> > URL: <
> http://mail.python.org/pipermail/edu-sig/attachments/20110629/8ce5a120/attachment-0001.html
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------
> >
> > Message: 3
> > Date: Wed, 29 Jun 2011 22:50:25 -0700
> > From: kirby urner <kirby.urner at gmail.com>
> > To: edu-sig at python.org
> > Subject: Re: [Edu-sig] Python and pre-algebra
> > Message-ID: <BANLkTikxVffq1YKh9DA45xrLv=c7cuqqXg at mail.gmail.com>
> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
> >
> > Hi Mary --
> >
> > Many subscribers to edu-sig have developed interesting approaches over
> the
> > years.
> >
> > There's a lot of interest in turtle art and/or turtle graphics.  There's
> > this tendency to divide algebra from geometry, whereas some teachers
> think
> > it's important to keep lexical and graphical connected.
> >
> > To that end, my pre-algebra tends to focus on numeric sequences that have
> a
> > clear geometric meaning (like triangular and square numbers, but I also
> take
> > it into volume and growth sequences in space -- polyhedral numbers some
> call
> > these sequences).
> >
> > You'll get the flavor my approach from the Oregon Curriculum Network web
> > site, this page in particular, and this essay in particular:
> >
> > http://www.4dsolutions.net/ocn/cp4e.html
> >
> > http://www.4dsolutions.net/ocn/numeracy0.html
> >
> > I'm guessing others will chime in.
> >
> > Python's 'How to Think Like a Computer Scientist' literature, a free
> > syllabus, is not inconsistent with developing skills in algebra.
> >
> > If you want to be more serious and formal about "object oriented" and
> link
> > in a notion of "math objects", I recommend spiraling through the same or
> > similar material with that in mind.
> >
> > They may not be ready for vector objects tomorrow, but perhaps the day
> > after.
> >
> > Polyhedrons are stellar objects because they're both abstract and
> concrete
> > in their properties and behaviors.
> >
> > Algebra and geometric shapes are good friends, or should be, starting
> with
> > such as V + F == E + 2.
> >
> > Kirby
> >
> >
> > On Wed, Jun 29, 2011 at 4:15 PM, <mary.dooms at comcast.net> wrote:
> >
> >> I teach 6th grade math and Python was suggested as a way to apply
> >> pre-algebra concepts in a programming context. My programming background
> >> consists of one C++ programming class. How do I begin? Are lesson plans
> and
> >> small programs available, for example, where students could write and
> "drop
> >> in" a script that includes integers and the output would not only
> calculate
> >> it, but see the relevance of it in a real world situation?
> >> *
> >> *
> >> *Or, perhaps, the program controls a "wheelchair" robot and students
> would
> >> write scripts to drive the robot at a certain speed considering the
> slope of
> >> a ramp?*
> >> *
> >> *
> >> *As you can see, I am a novice, but I see great potential and am willing
> >> to learn.*
> >> *
> >> *
> >> *Thanks,*
> >> *
> >> *
> >> *Mary*
> >>
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> Edu-sig mailing list
> >> Edu-sig at python.org
> >> http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
> >>
> >>
> > -------------- next part --------------
> > An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
> > URL: <
> http://mail.python.org/pipermail/edu-sig/attachments/20110629/817cc26a/attachment-0001.html
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------
> >
> > Message: 4
> > Date: Thu, 30 Jun 2011 09:40:39 +0300
> > From: Berkin Malkoc <malkocb at gmail.com>
> > To: Andrew Harrington <aharrin at luc.edu>
> > Cc: edu-sig at python.org
> > Subject: Re: [Edu-sig] Fwd: [SIGCSE-members] Python environment - web
> >       based?
> > Message-ID: <BANLkTi=rA9pZ7GnAy+8AiJw_WK1LsmYDXQ at mail.gmail.com>
> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
> >
> > On Wed, Jun 29, 2011 at 6:03 PM, Andrew Harrington <aharrin at luc.edu>
> wrote:
> >
> >> This is a good subject to revisit, on web based Python.  I like his
> >> interest in Python+math, too.
> >> Andy
> >>
> >
> > Getting software installed on K-12 computers can be very difficult. To
> avoid
> >> that collection of problems, I would like to be able to host a
> development
> >> environment on my own servers, so the students will need nothing more
> than a
> >> web browser (and Internet connection). Does anyone know of any
> off-the-shelf
> >> solutions? Though I'm leaning toward Python, I'm not yet committed.
> >>
> >
> > Sage [1] can be a great option in these kind of situations. It can be
> tried
> > online [2] and there are a couple of places [3] where you are guided
> through
> > the process of setting up your own Sage servers.
> >
> > Regards,
> > Berkin
> >
> > [1] http://www.sagemath.org
> > [2] http://www.sagenb.org/
> > [3] http://wiki.sagemath.org/DanDrake/JustEnoughSageServer
> > -------------- next part --------------
> > An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
> > URL: <
> http://mail.python.org/pipermail/edu-sig/attachments/20110630/146cd7b3/attachment.html
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Edu-sig mailing list
> > Edu-sig at python.org
> > http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
> >
> >
> > End of Edu-sig Digest, Vol 95, Issue 19
> > ***************************************
>
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>
> ------------------------------
>
> _______________________________________________
> Edu-sig mailing list
> Edu-sig at python.org
> http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
>
>
> End of Edu-sig Digest, Vol 95, Issue 20
> ***************************************
>
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From andre.roberge at gmail.com  Thu Jun 30 17:51:47 2011
From: andre.roberge at gmail.com (Andre Roberge)
Date: Thu, 30 Jun 2011 12:51:47 -0300
Subject: [Edu-sig]
	http://www.voidspace.org.uk/ironpython/silverlight/index.shtml#python-interactive-interpreter-in-a-browser
In-Reply-To: <BANLkTi=VwwNnDXLaYFGZgDZm8wHmyO-mdQ@mail.gmail.com>
References: <BANLkTi=VwwNnDXLaYFGZgDZm8wHmyO-mdQ@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <BANLkTinAT9hUNs5+ggHHVe1rQ_kXngnwwg@mail.gmail.com>

On Thu, Jun 30, 2011 at 12:07 PM, Vernon Cole <vernondcole at gmail.com> wrote:

> If you are interested in running Python code from a web-based form, you
> need IronPython and Silverlight (or moonlight on Linux).
> IronPython is a full implementation of Python running on the Microsoft CLI
> engine.
> ironpython in a browser<http://www.voidspace.org.uk/ironpython/silverlight/index.shtml#python-interactive-interpreter-in-a-browser>
> --
>
>>
>> SNIP

>
>> >
>> > Getting software installed on K-12 computers can be very difficult. To
>> avoid
>> >> that collection of problems, I would like to be able to host a
>> development
>> >> environment on my own servers, so the students will need nothing more
>> than a
>> >> web browser (and Internet connection). Does anyone know of any
>> off-the-shelf
>> >> solutions? Though I'm leaning toward Python, I'm not yet committed.
>> >>
>>
> You might consider having a look at Crunchy (
http://code.google.com/p/crunchy).  If you find that it might be suitable,
but need help in setting it up or modifying it (slightly), just send me an
email.

Andr?
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