a solution. This is just one of the reasons that Wolfram Alpha is a tool that will change STEM education dramatically. Why? Because about 80% of typical mathematics classroom instruction involves this kind of work. If you haven’t made a shift to more problem solving and analysis skills that the Common Core standards suggest for mathematics, Wolfram’s ability to turn six months of your Algebra 2 curriculum into a simple text entry might give you the encouragement to do this.
This computational capacity doesn’t end with pure mathematics; it carries out to applications for all content areas that depend upon using relevant data. For instance, the calculations I might do in a chemistry class to figure out how to create a specific concentration of a solution, or in a physics class to determine the speed of a falling object can easily be done with a simple search in Wolfram Alpha. And this is only the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Wolfram Alpha can pull in data from external sources, and their companion tools (available to educators for a nominal license fee) and allows you to input your own data for analysis, graphing, or even comparison to relevant data from published research studies. Once again, science and mathematics educators who read this and haven’t seen this functionality for themselves might be hyperventilating a bit now, as you realize that students can now do so much of what we ask of them in our middle and high school (and college)
A simple text entry gives results for complex calculation in physics and other science topics.
coursework with a relatively simple search. And if you think that a lack of internet connected hardware in your classroom might prevent such a disruptive tool from your classroom, the iOS apps that allow this to be done on an iPod or cell phone might change your mind. After all, your students might be using Wolfram Alpha in your class without you even knowing it. And, you thought they were just trying to text their friends…
HOW TO USE WOLFRAM ALPHA
One of the amazing things about Wolfram Alpha is its simple learning curve. Rather than having to figure out lots of syntax to find the information you are looking for, Wolfram Alpha automatically lists a set of examples that can be searched to investigate different topics. If you are new to this tool, spend an hour or so using some of the search options they provide, and try a few of your own. You’ll quickly see how this tool can gather relevant information and present it in interesting ways. And, you’ll see the limitations of the tool as well - for instance, it doesn’t really give you any narrative response or explanation.
Chemistry calculations are simple using a simple search in Wolfram Alpha.
MACULJOURNAL |
However, in addition to the capabilities mentioned earlier, and the ability to do these with simple text entries, Wolfram Alpha is also an amazing database and search engine for other STEM related information. For instance, typing “AGGACATTGACA” might look like a garbled text entry, but Wolfram Alpha actually recognizes that this might be shorthand for a genetic sequence of amino acids in our DNA, and will tell you what it is and where it might be found based on the mapping of the human or animal genome. A search for “Venus transit” gives diagrams of the dates and paths Venus will take as it crosses our view of the sun for the last time in over a century.
Stem Education continued on page 30 FALL 2012 | 11
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