[Blindmath] Homework for College Class

Wed Jan 25 19:38:30 UTC 2012

Two things here: Firstly it was being able to use software tools, the google 
calculator is one example, why I said the parenthesis notation is good as 
you can just copy and paste it into some software. The other thing is that 
it shows that may be the other notation isn't clear, I took the example 
given to mean (1/(2/3))^2 rather than what you wrote of (1/(2/3)^2). 
Whichever of us is right does not matter, the fact that two people got 
different meanings is important and concerning. That's why using a tried and 
tested notation is better than inventing one.

Michael Whapples

-----Original Message----- 
From: Richard Baldwin
Sent: Wednesday, January 25, 2012 4:13 PM
To: Blind Math list for those interested in mathematics
Subject: Re: [Blindmath] Homework for College Class

Not being blind, I don't bring any credibility to this discussion. However,
I will point out that if you enter the following expression into the Google
search box

(1/(2/3)^2

Google will send back the following, which can be very handy.

*1 / ((2 / 3)^2) = 2.25*
*Of course, as computer programmers know, it would be best to write the
expression as follows in the first place to avoid ambiguity:*
*
*
(1/((2/3)^2)

*It is truly amazing what the Google search box can do in terms of
evaluating mathematical expressions if you format them properly. It is a
serious scientific and engineering calculator. The biggest weakness is
little or no documentation.*
*
*
*Give it a try.*
*
*
*Dick Baldwin*
On Wed, Jan 25, 2012 at 5:25 AM, Ben Humphreys 
<brh at opticinspiration.org>wrote:

> Amanda,
>
> I've been loath to use parenthesis because of the comprehension complexity
> when more than a few end up in a single equation.
>
> Towards the end of my last math class though, brackets [] were
> "reintroduced" to me  to differentiate between parenthesis for simplicity.
>
> You could even use {} as well.
>
> In other words,
>
> [1/(2/3)[^2
>
> is easier to understand than
>
> (1/(2/3)^2
>
>
> Ben
>
> At 10:06 AM 1/24/2012, you wrote:
>
>> Ben,
>>
>> Do sighted professors understand 1 // 2/3 without explanation? I use
>> 1/(2/3) to make sure anyone can know what I meant.
>>
>> Amanda
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ben Humphreys" <
>> brh at opticinspiration.org>
>> To: "Blind Math list for those interested in mathematics" <
>> blindmath at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Tuesday, January 24, 2012 7:59 AM
>> Subject: Re: [Blindmath] Homework for College Class
>>
>>
>>  While I certainly can't quarrel with the presentation of Latex, I did
>>> just finish Calculus 1 and I can vouch that there is plenty to learn and
>>> challenges to overcome without the added complexity and difficulty of
>>> reading Latex compared to a shorthand, which I've discussed before.
>>>
>>> For example, consider a fraction divided by another fraction such as 1
>>> divided by 2/3
>>>
>>> In Latex, we have:
>>>
>>> \frac{ 1 }{ \frac{ 2}{3} }
>>>
>>> Now, consider the shorthand that I used in my own homework
>>>
>>> 1 // 2/3
>>>
>>> So the double slash is the "big" division line" if you will.
>>>
>>> Now, I'm aware of all the shortcomings of non-standards based solutions,
>>> but as a practical matter, you're working hundreds of prolems, some of 
>>> them
>>> difficult enough in math, without the added complexity, syntax, and
>>> additional brainpower to translate Latek back into what your classmates 
>>> are
>>> seeing natively.
>>>
>>> Admittedly, I'm dealing with blindness as an adult without the benefit
>>> of mastery of braille or Nemeth at a young age, so I rely on a screen
>>> reader and others mileage may very.
>>>
>>> Ben
>>>
>>> At 03:55 AM 1/24/2012, you wrote:
>>>
>>>> Lanie,
>>>> LateX is the standard for producing mathematical documents on many
>>>> universities. I highly recommend you learn it. Unlike some self 
>>>> invented
>>>> shorthand lateX allows you to express any mathematical expression
>>>> unambiguously. LateX will also benefit you when you are writing a 
>>>> thesis
>>>> because you'll be able to get a perfect layout just by coding correctly
>>>> rather than having to check it on the screen.
>>>>
>>>> You can write lateX in any text editor, and you can convert it into PDF
>>>> using the pdflatex command line program which comes with mictex.
>>>> I hear TeXnic center is accessible and could make your job easier.
>>>> There are many lateX tutorials which can get you started.
>>>> Tim
>>>> On 1/24/2012 5:51 AM, Lanie wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> I only tried ones specificly for math such as LaTeX and Scientific
>>>>> Notebook, but that's a good idea to use shorthand in a regular
>>>>> workprocessor.
>>>>>
>>>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>>> From: Alex Hall <mehgcap at gmail.com
>>>>> To: Blind Math list for those interested in mathematics <
>>>>> blindmath at nfbnet.org
>>>>> Date sent: Mon, 23 Jan 2012 23:45:09 -0500
>>>>> Subject: Re: [Blindmath] Homework for College Class
>>>>>
>>>>> What programs have you tried for wordprocessing? I can't think of any
>>>>> that nvda won't work with.  Even Notepad should do the trick, even if 
>>>>> you
>>>>> have to use a shorthand for some symbols, such as sr(x) for square 
>>>>> root of
>>>>> x.
>>>>>
>>>>> Have a great day,
>>>>> Alex (msg sent from my iPod)
>>>>> mehgcap at gmail.com; //facebook.com/mehgcap
>>>>>
>>>>> On Jan 23, 2012, at 23:25, Lanie <readtobuild at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> Hi, all.  I was wondering if anyone can help with this.  I'm taking a
>>>>> calculus class in college, where I've just done "so homework and now 
>>>>> have
>>>>> it in Braille.  I'm not beure how to transcribe it into a format my
>>>>> professor can read though.  Does anyone have any suggestions.  So far, 
>>>>> I
>>>>> thought of using a computer program where I could type it out and 
>>>>> email it
>>>>> to him, but I haven't found one that's accessible with NVDA, the 
>>>>> screen
>>>>> reader I use.  My second option would be reading it all out loud on to 
>>>>> a
>>>>> digital recorder and emailing it to him, but that's just really 
>>>>> tedious.
>>>>>  Also, I've thought about getting a reader and scribe, but that will 
>>>>> make
>>>>> me tied down to someone, and with my schedule, that won't really work. 
>>>>> I
>>>>> would really appreciate any help ASAP.  Thanks.
>>>>>
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>
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-- 
Richard G. Baldwin (Dick Baldwin)
Home of Baldwin's on-line Java Tutorials
http://www.DickBaldwin.com

Professor of Computer Information Technology
Austin Community College
(512) 223-4758
mailto:Baldwin at DickBaldwin.com
http://www.austincc.edu/baldwin/
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