[Edu-sig] seasonal challenge to calculator dominance in high schools

[kirby urner]

Another modeling activity that's fun is starting with a giant spreadsheet
(maybe a pandas DataFrame) wherein the columns are xyz coordinates of
ballerina body sensors. As we know, the movie industry uses these sensors
routinely, to bring an actor into a virtual reality (e.g. Gollum in Lord of
the Rings).

We had an outfit in Nebraska do the recordings and I translated the sensor
data into stick figure renderings, kind of eerie.

Pipeline:  sensor data (excel) --> python --> povray --> frame-joiner -->
movie

https://youtu.be/38iz0-dopSg
https://youtu.be/3WehC6LxZe8

This requires knowing enough scene description language to have Python
write out coherent scripts, frame after frame, to the rendering engine
(free open source povray).

Lots of coordinate system practice, with movie-making an end result.

I'd like students to have access to Civilization type games but with full
planets rendered as hexapents.  No need to code it from scratch unless they
pay you.  At some point, you need to say "hey, even adults aren't working
this hard for nothing".

Calendar time including timezones and daylight savings definitely core
curriculum, no question, glad we have datetime tools.

Again, back to the end of the calculator era, they suck at calendar
datetime, and besides, the API of a bazzillion little buttons sucks.

Kirby

https://mybizmo.blogspot.com/2006/04/more-first-person-physics.html (First
Person Physics, University of Nebraska)
https://youtu.be/sguOvRlHjn0 (more hypertoons)


On Sun, Jun 23, 2019 at 12:04 PM Wes Turner <wes.turner at gmail.com> wrote:

> Another plotting exercise: MathClock / MathCircle
>
> With X, Y coordinates,
> - Draw a circle
> - Draw a circle around the origin
> - Label degrees (360; Babylonian base 12)
> - Label fractional radians
> - Label 12 hours
> - Label the 60 minutes
> - Draw clock hands
>
> And then do the same with radial coordinates
>
> ... Number representations: change of base; Columns in e.g.
> Pandas; Trigonometry: Sin, Cos
>
>
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