Wolfram+Alpha+presentation

Presented by Josh Giesbrecht on Thursday, June 17, 2009

=Wolfram|Alpha=

What is Wolfram|Alpha?

 * From the FAQ: "It's a computational knowledge engine: it generates output by doing computations from its own internal knowledge base, instead of searching the web and returning links."

What does this mean?

 * W|A is a powerful mathematics system that could change how we teach math.
 * W|A has a huge database of information across a wide variety of subjects, from economics to science to nutrition to movie trivia.
 * W|A connects that data with its math engine, letting you compare, combine, and coerce more meaningful results out of the data set.
 * It does all of this with an easy-to-use, familiar interface.
 * It is completely free.

Examples: (if you find another really great example, add it to the list!)
 * [|53]
 * [|2+2]
 * [|x^2 + 11x + 30]
 * [|solve x^2 + 11x + 30] (click on "show steps")
 * [|integrate sin(x)cos(5x) dx]
 * [|GDP per capita vs life expectancy]
 * [|ISS]
 * [|one apple]
 * [|apple vs apple juice]
 * [|Apple vs Microsoft]
 * [|GATTACAGATTACA]
 * [|b minor]
 * [|10g of gold]

What does this really mean for educators?
Computer algebra systems (CAS) have been around for a long time, but they've been either expensive, or awkward to use, or both. W|A is free, easy to use, and will actually show steps to solving most of the algebra problems we ask students to solve by hand. It also provides a lot of extra information, demonstrating the connections between ideas in mathematics.
 * We may have to rethink how we teach math class.**

Think this is no different than graphing calculators or Mathematica? [|This blogger] has a great analysis of [|why this tech is likely to be adopted quickly and widely among students and educators]. The key difference could simply be that everyone starts using it.

While W|A's focus is on quantified (ie. numerical) information about the real world, the project is reaching into every area of study and human interest. Even if you never touch a math class in your life, this could become a great resource for social studies, history, science, cooking, and more. It could be a great research tool for student-driven projects.
 * We can bring an enormous amount of real-world data into the classroom at no extra cost.**

(Optional class activity: What does this mean to you? Add in your thoughts here. One paragraph per person, starting with your name.)
 * We can draw out meaningful connections in the data.**

Josh: We can help students see the meaning behind socioeconomic numbers; eg. understand what a difference in GDP per capita means to public health.

Tullia: Here is another article discussing the impact of [|Wolfram Alpha on university students].

Resources on Teaching with W|A

 * [|WalphaWiki]
 * wiki for math educators to share resources and ideas for using W|A in the curriculum

Other related resources

 * [|Sage] - a free, open-source CAS / math system
 * [|free, collaborative online version]
 * this system isn't very user-friendly, but the collaborative-web aspect is interesting
 * [|Gapminder] - a fantastic visualization tool connected to world health, economic and demographic data
 * TED talks from Gapminder's creator:
 * http://www.ted.com/talks/hans_rosling_shows_the_best_stats_you_ve_ever_seen.html
 * http://www.ted.com/talks/hans_rosling_reveals_new_insights_on_poverty.html
 * with surprise ending!!!
 * new one I haven't seen yet: http://www.ted.com/talks/hans_rosling_the_truth_about_hiv.html
 *  [|Geogebra] - a free geography / algebra tool
 * like Geometer's Sketchpad, but awesomer and free
 * [|Maxima] - a free, open-source CAS system
 * a pretty good and free alternative to Mathematica