Not so long ago, Habré published news about , one of the most famous programs in the world. Source code for this software .
At the same time, it was said that the developers of the program invite everyone to submit their wishes and ideas regarding the functionality of the program. Out of a large number, one has been selected so far. The author proposes to add it to .
Actually, everything is clear here - the graphical mode will make it possible to visualize equations and functions, approximately the same as what Plotting Mode does in Matlab. The feature was proposed by Microsoft engineer Dave Grochocki. According to him, the graphics mode will not be too advanced. It will allow students to build graphs from algebraic equations.
“Algebra is the path to the higher realms of mathematics and related disciplines. However, it is one of the most difficult subjects for students, and many people get poor grades in algebra,” says Grochoski. The developer believes that if a graphical mode is added to the calculator, it will become easier for students and teachers to understand each other in the classroom.
“Graphing calculators can be quite expensive, software solutions require licensing, and online services are not always the best solution,” continues Grochoski.
According to Microsoft representatives, it is the graphical mode that is one of the most frequently requested features in the Feedback Hub application, where users of the corporation's software products drop their offers.
Goals set by the developers:
- Providing basic visualization in Windows Calculator;
- Support for core math curricula in the US (unfortunately, while Calculator functionality will be planned based on the needs of students in this country), including the ability to build and interpret functions, understand linear, quadratic and exponential models, learn trigonometric functions using the calculator, and understand the concept equations.
What else will the user get:
- Possibility to enter an equation to build the corresponding graph.
- Ability to add multiple equations and visualize them to compare graphs.
- An equation editing mode so that you can see what changes when certain modifications are made to the original equation.
- Changing the mode of viewing graphs - different sections can be viewed in different degrees of detail (i.e. we are talking about scaling).
- Ability to explore different types of charts.
- The ability to export the result - now feature visualizations can be shared in Office / Teams.
- Users can easily manipulate the secondary variables in the equations to understand how changes in the equations affect the graph.
As far as one can judge, graphs can be built for not very complex functions.
Now the developers of the Calculator are trying to show that the program improves over time. She was born as an elementary assistant for performing arithmetic operations. Now it is a reliable scientific calculator that can be used by a wide range of users to solve very serious problems. The software will continue to improve in the future.
As for opening the source code, this is done so that anyone can get acquainted with such Microsoft technologies as Fluent, Universal Windows Platform, Azure Pipelines and others. Through this project, developers can learn more about how work is done to create certain projects at Microsoft. With a detailed analysis of the Windows Calculator source code, you can .
The program is written in C++ and contains over 35000 lines of code. Users need Windows 10 1803 (or newer) and the latest version of Visual Studio to compile the project. With all requirements on GitHub.
Source: habr.com