[IAEP] Working math graphs/plots

Edward Cherlin echerlin at gmail.com
Wed Dec 10 19:24:50 EST 2008


On Wed, Dec 10, 2008 at 2:51 PM, Reinier Heeres <reinier at heeres.eu> wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I agree that the plotting functionality is not really well exposed,
> although help(index) will show you it's available and help(plot) will
> tell you how to use it. Try plot(sin(x),x=0..360) for example. I'll work
> on the exposure of plotting in the next release; suggestions on how to
> do this exactly would be welcome.

Just exposing help would go a long way to solving the problem.

> The implementation is as basic as it can get: it evaluates an expression
> at 100 points between the start and stop range. The internal parser is a
> bit slow, but it's pure python and works reasonably well.
>
> With a bit of coding we could surely add some functionality to get data
> from Measure in there too.
>
> I am not inclined to add RPN parsing myself, but patches will of course
> be considered.

Would you look at http://sourceforge.net/projects/calcrpnpy/ and tell
me what you need done to it?

> Regards,
> Reinier
>
> Edward Cherlin wrote:
>> On Wed, Dec 10, 2008 at 11:18 AM, Gary C Martin <gary at garycmartin.com> wrote:
>>
>>> On 10 Dec 2008, at 18:41, Walter Bender wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>> I haven't looked at it in a while, but what plotting engine is built
>>>> inside of the Calculator Activity?
>>>>
>>>> -walter
>>>>
>>> I think Reinier wrote his own little svg plot generator class called
>>> plotlib.py.
>>>
>>> --Gary
>>>
>>
>> I didn't know about the plotting capability, which will have endless
>> uses. It is certainly not discoverable.
>>
>> Can we feed a segment of a data stream from Measure to Calculate as a
>> named function?
>>
>> Why don't we put something like plot(f(x),x=min..max) on the toolbar?
>> Can we provide hints about the functions and syntax anywhere in the
>> UI? Is there a way to recall and edit an input line? Are there other
>> functions not exposed in the UI?
>>
>> I have a fairly old book called Numerical Analysis on the Pocket
>> Calculator, which explains how to do all sorts of things that you
>> might not expect on even the simplest 4- and 5-function devices, and
>> works on up through the sort of algebraic calculator we have here to
>> the programmable calculator. Our users will need something like this,
>> to take maximum advantage of the seemingly limited capabilities we are
>> offering them.
>>
>> And can we have an RPN mode? I can't tell you how much most real
>> engineers hate parentheses. We are not doing children any favors by
>> hiding the more advanced tools.
>>
>
> --
> Reinier Heeres
> Waalstraat 17
> 2515 XK Den Haag
> The Netherlands
>
> Tel: +31 6 10852639
>
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