tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88581692581666858282024-03-13T22:36:53.730-03:00Science Apps (iOS)Detailed reviews of science apps for iOS devices, and how to use these tools for learning and doing science. Apps for astronomy, biology, biochemistry, chemistry, mathematics, physics, elementary science and more. This is an independent site and all views are the opinion of the author. No association with any of the reviewed products exists or is claimed. What's New: We have added a search box to find content on this site. Also you can sign up for email alerts to new posts below.Dr. Robert Hawkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10472113163190184489noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858169258166685828.post-4173940748165098712017-02-17T13:28:00.001-04:002018-08-03T17:32:06.318-03:00About Our Review Process<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF5awhrQt_23YjnrTE0V64weY0ZvAEVLGObvnpRfhRtMJWUzxOOqc5KDPLF94I6LSY4mOUsOyNJW1OeE7lZLOAe1Bc_8w0EiFi-NxNkSgrwzCPjteb96IZ0DzUdfbA-x2vBrnJvpvlAH4K/s1600/check_pixabay.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF5awhrQt_23YjnrTE0V64weY0ZvAEVLGObvnpRfhRtMJWUzxOOqc5KDPLF94I6LSY4mOUsOyNJW1OeE7lZLOAe1Bc_8w0EiFi-NxNkSgrwzCPjteb96IZ0DzUdfbA-x2vBrnJvpvlAH4K/s200/check_pixabay.png" width="200" /></a>Thank you for coming to our site, and we hope you will find our reviews valuable. Here is an overview of our review procedure.</div>
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Criteria:</h3>
As we revitalize this site over the coming months, it is an opportune time to provide the review guidelines we use. As we conduct each review we ask ourselves the following questions.<br />
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<li><b>Is the science correct</b>? </li>
<li>Does the app provide a <b>sophisticated, effective and creative view</b>?</li>
<li>Does the software offer <b>good value for cost</b>? </li>
<li>Is the interface <b>engaging and intuitive</b>?</li>
<li>Does the app <b>fill a valuable niche</b> in the ecosystem of existing software?</li>
<li>Is there <b>evidence of validation</b> by the developer?</li>
<li>Do <b>negative aspects</b> such as intrusive advertisements or update requests interfere?</li>
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Overall Rating:</h3>
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The relative importance of each element depends on the app being reviewed, and our overall score for each review is not simply an average of scores on each of these elements. The meaning of our overall numerical score is indicated below.</div>
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<li><b>10</b>: This software is <b>outstanding</b>. We see few areas that could be improved.</li>
<li><b>8-9</b>: <b>Excellent</b>. We strongly recommend the software.</li>
<li><b>6-7</b>: <b>Good</b>. If the software is appropriate to your needs, you should consider it, but there are aspects that could be improved.</li>
<li><b>4-5</b>: <b>Marginal</b>. While some users may find the app useful, there are significant concerns.</li>
<li><b>0-3: Not Recommended</b>. Issues are so significant that we do not recommend purchase.</li>
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What We Review:</h3>
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<li>We review apps that help scientists or the general public do science, as well as apps that enhance learning of scientific ideas. That is, we review apps aimed at scientists, citizen scientists, the general public and children.</li>
<li>We only provide reviews after we have fully engaged with the software, never on the basis of press releases or other secondary data. In most cases we only write reviews after an extended period of use, since first impressions are sometimes misleading.</li>
<li>If the review is of an app intended for children, we only write the review after we have evaluated the app when used with children.</li>
<li>While we are not opposed to receiving a code from developers for an app, we will never agree to give a positive review for such consideration. If we have received a code for free access, this is indicated in the review. Most reviews are on software that we have purchased at the normal price.</li>
<li>While we review apps in all disciplines, the reader should keep in mind that my main scientific expertise is in physics, astronomy, space science, atmospheric science, educational research and electronics. </li>
<li>My background includes M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in physics, as well as a B.Ed. (and some M.Ed. level individual courses). I have won multiple local, regional and national teaching awards, as well as a regional award for science communication. I have extensive solar system astrophysics research over many decades, and also have conducted research in science teaching, physics education research, informal science learning and educational technology. I have taught at both the high school and university levels, as well as in a teacher preparation program where I taught science methodology and educational technology.</li>
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<h3>
Your Input:</h3>
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We welcome your suggestions at any time, either ideas for apps you would like to see us review, or comments on our review methodology or reviews. Please leave a comment here, contact us directly by email (address below in image format to discourage spammers), or direct message us through our Twitter account (<a href="https://twitter.com/AppsScience" target="_blank">@AppsScience</a>)</div>
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Dr. Robert Hawkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10472113163190184489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858169258166685828.post-63818313031161549502012-02-22T09:27:00.041-04:002012-02-23T07:42:06.039-04:0010 Great Science App Sites<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtHVGDuKBM92iQr8gzAN2KDFMr-eZg4UUQ3PIfglrjJZgVVP4jbwXNa0yYlEQUr57oOZNks6jLmmLNdN2S4ZkXKEkuoNi8k3jfQu1Ck3sdMJF8WRNALOSG58tAKZPKuSB0wDyCzVX0PBDJ/s1600/Blog-Icon.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPxSDpU7QU0lWTaQYsuE2YVLS1Uc3QPsFEhJ-Ll_pwQrdhScvFi4EC408GaMX54W1DaWephvD78rGGHd2AWzSe6Z3r0J9BpG1EjBxi0EetcWLbOlQxMAJfbWYcy5wfMHd_SVVjfzqROocI/s1600/10SciListsLogo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPxSDpU7QU0lWTaQYsuE2YVLS1Uc3QPsFEhJ-Ll_pwQrdhScvFi4EC408GaMX54W1DaWephvD78rGGHd2AWzSe6Z3r0J9BpG1EjBxi0EetcWLbOlQxMAJfbWYcy5wfMHd_SVVjfzqROocI/s200/10SciListsLogo.png" width="200" /></a></div>Rather than review an individual app I thought that it might be time again to draw together the best sites for information on apps suitable for science. I have tried to concentrate on those that are comprehensive and provide detailed critical information on the apps. I was somewhat surprised that with that criteria it was hard to actually find many sites, and the last few tend not to be terribly broad or comprehensive. <br />
<ol><li><b>Teach With Your iPad Wiki</b>: <a href="http://teachwithyouripad.wikispaces.com/Science+Apps">http://teachwithyouripad.wikispaces.com/Science+Apps</a> This is a very nice collection of both free and paid apps for the iPad. It is divided into different subject areas including astronomy, biology, chemistry and earth science. It seems most comprehensive in the biology area, although a number of good ideas for chemistry too. I like that in a few cases there are links to videos or animations to show the operation of the app.<br />
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<li><b>Apple Lists:</b> <a href="http://www.apple.com/education/apps/%20">http://www.apple.com/education/apps/ </a>Apple itself provides a good starting point for education apps geared to science. If you go slightly down the page, there is a set of links to science specific content, including apps for astronomy and earth science, biology and life science, chemistry and physics. An elegant and beautiful introduction to science apps.<br />
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<li><b>Apps in Education</b>: <a href="http://appsineducation.blogspot.com/p/science-ipad-apps.html">http://appsineducation.blogspot.com/p/science-ipad-apps.html</a> This is a bit hit or miss. It has short reviews, not particularly critical, of a number of science apps, and also a much longer list of some science apps that have not been reviewed. The overall site, developed by a visual arts teacher with strong web 2.0 interests, is full of gems however, and I recommend giving it a look even if science is not as strong as some other areas.<br />
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<li><b>40 Most Awesome List</b>: <a href="http://www.bestcollegesonline.com/blog/2011/06/15/40-most-awesome-ipad-apps-for-science-students/">http://www.bestcollegesonline.com/blog/2011/06/15/40-most-awesome-ipad-apps-for-science-students/</a> I like the choices made here, as far as it goes. It starts with a brief list, then has lists by subject (e.g. biology) or by type (e.g. utilities). Subjects like physics are totally missing. It is far from comprehensive, but a good place to start finding quality apps for science.<br />
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<li> <b>ScienceApps Blog</b>: <a href="http://scienceapps.blogspot.com/">http://scienceapps.blogspot.com/</a> How could we not list our own blog!? I think the strength of this site is that we only include detailed and critical reviews. So far at least our coverage is by no means comprehensive, and we have not yet set it up so that it is easy to find all the apps on a specific subject area. But give our entire blog a read please!<br />
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<li><b>Apps for Science Lovers</b>: <a href="http://appadvice.com/applists/show/apps-for-science-lovers">http://appadvice.com/applists/show/apps-for-science-lovers</a> While this only covers a small number of apps, it does have brief reviews of a number of those most deserving consideration by scientists and science learners and teachers.<br />
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<li><b>Great Free iPad Science Apps</b>: <a href="http://www2.palomar.edu/pages/atrc/2011/10/06/great-free-ipad-science-apps/">http://www2.palomar.edu/pages/atrc/2011/10/06/great-free-ipad-science-apps/</a> While a very limited list, I like the coverage and the emphasis on free science apps (as well as great visual look) that Terry Gray, a technology supervisor at Palomar College, uses in his list. <br />
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<li><b>Top App Reviews</b>: <a href="http://www.topappreviews101.com/astronomy-ipad-apps-63.html">http://www.topappreviews101.com/astronomy-ipad-apps-63.html</a> The link gives the list for astronomy, but once at the site you can readily find apps for other areas. The name is a bit of a misnomer, since while it calls it a review list, really it is mainly just a list with links. Nevertheless, it is one place to find many of the paid and free apps within a category.<br />
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<li><b>Physics.org List</b>: <a href="http://www.physics.org/article-questions.asp?id=81">http://www.physics.org/article-questions.asp?id=81</a> This is a very short list, but with several interesting suggestions for physicists ranging from particle physics to physics based mechanical games. <br />
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<li><b>AppNews123.com Chemistry List</b> : <a href="http://www.appnews123.com/434/">http://www.appnews123.com/434/</a> This is a short list with some good suggestions for chemistry (although general science, physics and biology learners would find some interesting).</li>
</ol><ol></ol>I am sure I have missed a number of the great science lists out there. Why not post a comment with your own suggestions? I will modify this post taking into account suggestions and comments.<br />
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<ol></ol>Dr. Robert Hawkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10472113163190184489noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858169258166685828.post-88160329928040903232012-02-21T06:50:00.003-04:002018-08-03T17:33:06.604-03:00Decibel 10<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcTMCeCyHzHc_4osCeaFXGeHguVor3sD7Aa3URjlpGxBOq9RZlWrZoxChGhGVwFkXROn5v8gObf_PYpdC78N94eqbJW1ZUYXFSVI7eNDJF5Ezf9Mdw6NDzhX2WqiSd1QR9tNDyS0aOvGcX/s1600/dB10icon.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcTMCeCyHzHc_4osCeaFXGeHguVor3sD7Aa3URjlpGxBOq9RZlWrZoxChGhGVwFkXROn5v8gObf_PYpdC78N94eqbJW1ZUYXFSVI7eNDJF5Ezf9Mdw6NDzhX2WqiSd1QR9tNDyS0aOvGcX/s200/dB10icon.png" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/decibel-10/id448155923?mt=8">Decibel 10</a> by SkyPaw Ltd. is a well crafted and free app to measure sound levels in decibels. While this is certainly not the only sound level app, in my opinion it is the best. It has a beautiful and intuitive interface, making it simple enough for even elementary students to easily measure sound levels. The app provides convenient comparison for the values obtained with short word descriptions for situations that typically have that sound level. The ability to record and export (e.g. as email attachment) the decibel values along with time information is a significant strength. With this app and a speaker system it would be easy for a museum to make an interactive display for users to become familiar with decibel readings. <br />
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I show a typical screen from the app here. At the bottom of the screen it gives both the current dB level (in the centre), a recent peak value (to the right) and a maximum value recorded during the current session (on the left). In the centre is an analog meter format visual display. The meter scale shows values above 75 dB as red, and has a total range from 0 to 110 dB. One feature that I like is that at the top it gives in words a typical comparison - e.g. "average quiet home". It also shows a graph of recent values - these are the sound level values (not a graph of the sound waveform).<br />
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You can output data from the app using the arrow icon at the top right. This gives the option to email the values recorded in the current session as a zip file. When the file is opened it is a text file with data in the format: "2012:02:21 05:46:41.044 average: 50.326469, peak: 50.326469" providing the date, time, and average and peak dB values. A science teacher would complain about the inappropriate number of significant figures given in the dB values, so students should be warned of this. The default settings give 10 samples per second, all of which are output to this file.<br />
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This recording feature allows students to carry the device around and record sound levels, and then export the results all as one file. If the students note where they are at different times, they can relate the values to the sound levels in those locations. As mentioned at the outset, the operation of the app is so straightforward that I can see appropriate use by students of all ages, and the general public. At a more advanced level students might use the app to investigate how intensity levels decrease at different distances from a source, or study sound levels from two speakers driven with the same tone in order to quantitatively study interference effects.<br />
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A bit of background on decibels (dB). The decibel is used to compare two power levels, with the dB difference being 10 times the logarithm of the ratio of the powers. More specifically we use dB in sound to compare the sound intensity values (W/m<sup>2</sup>). For example if one sound level was 1000 times another, that would be a 30 dB difference. With sound it is conventional to establish a reference level of 0 dB at an intensity of 1.0x10<sup>-12</sup> W/m<sup>2</sup>, the approximate limit of human hearing. Decibels are named in honour of scientists, engineer and inventor <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Graham_Bell">Alexander Graham Bell</a> (1847-1922). Although born in Scotland, he emigrated to Canada at age 23. Although he has a long list of inventions, he is best known as the inventor of the telephone. A museum in his honour is in Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia. An interesting tidbit: he was born without a middle name, and so wanted one that he was given a middle name for his eleventh birthday (named after a well liked Canadian staying in their home).<br />
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The app is developed by <a href="http://www.skypaw.com/">SkyPaw Ltd</a>., which also produce apps for timers, seismometers, a calculator and a metronome, among others.<br />
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My overall rating: 9 (out of 10). I think that the app is near perfect, and particularly for a free app, is impressive. I would like to see a more appropriate numbers of significant figures in the dB output in the export file, and if it were possible to somehow include annotations that would be exported with the file that would be great. So whether you want to have your students explore noise pollution, provide evidence to your apartment neighbours that they are too loud, or convince your spouse or children that they have the stereo or television too loud, this is a fun and useful app. A few of those commenting on the app store report issues with the iPhone 4s that I have not been able to check. It certainly has worked flawlessly for me on an iPad 2 running the most recent iOS. According to the developer it runs on iPad, iPhone and iPod touch, requiring iOS 3.2 or later.Dr. Robert Hawkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10472113163190184489noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858169258166685828.post-83011217751991137232011-06-20T13:04:00.002-03:002012-02-23T06:57:16.101-04:00Equation editor for iPad - MathBot<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAOxuDyXJd7K0y0wDE5ukknOCD6SLUuFIUw4nr9O75rJ1cNaMaRl2TQCT303uaV_6ze2hL6PXl8UXR9hn2CnYJqMgd_2aq1q78JJHydzVZCybeqqwjfACuAzV51F4Z_RBK40FIRFRpIb_s/s1600/MathbotSymbol.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAOxuDyXJd7K0y0wDE5ukknOCD6SLUuFIUw4nr9O75rJ1cNaMaRl2TQCT303uaV_6ze2hL6PXl8UXR9hn2CnYJqMgd_2aq1q78JJHydzVZCybeqqwjfACuAzV51F4Z_RBK40FIRFRpIb_s/s200/MathbotSymbol.png" width="200" /></a></div><i>Updated note: The problem on launch with MathBot has now been fixed and the app is working again. Among other changes, the new version allows landscape mode and an auto complete feature (last updated Feb. 23, 2012)</i><br />
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Pages is a nice word processor and page layout program, but one major omission is an equation editor. On the Mac scientists and mathematicians usually use either MathType, or write the entire document in LaTeX using TeXShop. Unfortunately MathType is not available for the iPad.<br />
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In this column I will show you how to place high quality mathematical equations into Pages (or Keynote) on the iPad using the <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/mathbot-tex-equation-typesetting/id386825681?mt=8#">MathBot</a> app. While MathBot is free, you will need to purchase the $4.99 in-app upgrade to remove the watermark and to activate all necessary export options.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRqmKvL9Ih0jOMu9nI1ip9S_Bnvk-rlxnuljoUk6Ak8fhn5Bf8BHMKOYU1O0Hj-lFv2mdzyl_wj_1Stl8WyL1DWRDBXH6Nie_HwzZZuyXQ2CJOqtTT295NRQOOA2HcUQCFU__JiLuSWWQ0/s1600/MathBotPages.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRqmKvL9Ih0jOMu9nI1ip9S_Bnvk-rlxnuljoUk6Ak8fhn5Bf8BHMKOYU1O0Hj-lFv2mdzyl_wj_1Stl8WyL1DWRDBXH6Nie_HwzZZuyXQ2CJOqtTT295NRQOOA2HcUQCFU__JiLuSWWQ0/s320/MathBotPages.png" width="320" /></a></div>So what exactly is MathBot? It takes expressions in LaTeX, renders them into beautifully typeset equations, and then allows export as high quality scaleable PNG images into Pages, Keynote or indeed any other app that accepts images. This works best on the iPad, although MathBot will work on any iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch running iOS 4.0 or higher. I have only tried it on an iPad 2 for this review. This figure shows a MathBot generated equation pasted into a Pages document on an iPad.<br />
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LaTeX is a math typesetting markup language developed by Lesley Lampert in the 1980's. It grew out of the TeX typesetting markup system developed by Donald E. Knuth in 1977. LaTeX is the preferred way to create high quality math rich materials and many journals in the sciences require authors to provide LaTeX copies of papers. A lengthy introduction to LaTeX is available <a href="http://tobi.oetiker.ch/lshort/lshort.pdf">here</a>. MathBot is not a full LaTeX typesetting system but only handles equations.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>LaTeX is a markup language. For example "x^2" is how we write superscripts. Greek letters and special symbols are written with the special lead character \ followed by the name e.g. "\alpha". Curly brackets are nonprinting characters used to keep expressions together e.g. "{x+3}\over{2\pi}". Those used to WYSIWYG equation editors will at first find LaTeX slow and awkward, but it does become more natural with use, and it produces elegant output. There are various online introductions to LaTeX and listings of commands.<br />
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MathBot makes the writing of LaTeX somewhat easier through extra keyboard symbols for the most often used characters and expressions, grouped in logical ways. I show below a screen capture for MathBot. The top portion is the rendered equation (rendering is done automatically and it will update as you add to the equation markup expression).The middle portion is the corresponding LaTeX markup code. You can directly enter code from the normal iPad keyboard, but it is much easier to use the special extra line of characters which are the top line in the bottom panel. Just below that line is a series of buttons for different categories. For example one has all the Greek symbols. <br />
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You can edit the markup contents of the middle panel in all the normal ways such as copy and paste. If you hold down over a letter it will bring up the magnified view to allow precise positioning. MathBot comes with several example equations. Those learning LaTeX will find it helpful to use these as starting points. <br />
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To enter a new equation you first press the bookmark symbol at the top left, and then select Add New Equation at the bottom. You can attach name labels to each equation, and frequently used equations can be stored.<br />
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When your equation is ready for export to Pages (or other applications) you select the output button near the top right, and then Export Equation. It will present several options, including email and placing an image in your photo collection, but I prefer to use the pasteboard copy and paste process. Once you have pasted it in Pages (or other applications) you can then scale the equation (by default it will come out large and then you scale it down). I have found that the quality is excellent even after reasonable scaling. One slight irritation in the copy and paste process is that MathBot only works in portrait mode, so if your other application prefers landscape, you are constantly turning your iPad around.<br />
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Both Pages and Keynote support applying styles to the pasted equations, and this can be used to in one click provide nice features like boxes of various types around the inserted equations, or as shown below background shading.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2gCZRMcoSEFb7VEKVcjW8W-DrihOodb-EnaChgleiVlKuzqwj-DYKY3S42ZwgCIBzQCcSLoEfOJ717brh929RrevK8SUaJoI-8MZFIWrRlv50GCOZ_r5NJ-1kZ4uL6zPAAkveS9Tmk6Gq/s1600/MathbotKeynote.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2gCZRMcoSEFb7VEKVcjW8W-DrihOodb-EnaChgleiVlKuzqwj-DYKY3S42ZwgCIBzQCcSLoEfOJ717brh929RrevK8SUaJoI-8MZFIWrRlv50GCOZ_r5NJ-1kZ4uL6zPAAkveS9Tmk6Gq/s320/MathbotKeynote.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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MathBot is created by a small software company <a href="http://www.wiapps.de/">wiApps</a>, based in Germany. They have a Mac app as well as several iOS apps. For those who want a complete LaTeX environment (for writing LaTeX entire documents and not just equations), they should consider <a href="http://www.vancapy.com/textouch/">TeX Touch</a>. TeX Touch uses a unique approach of editing on the iPad, sending the code through Dropbox to your Mac where it is compiled and the pdf sent back to your Mac via Dropbox. The limitation on executable code on iOS devices require such an approach. I may review TeX Touch in some future posting.<br />
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I hope that at some point Pages will include a built-in equation editor. Until then, your best option is <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/mathbot-tex-equation-typesetting/id386825681?mt=8#">MathBot</a>. Those who already know LaTeX will find it an easy transition, and will appreciate that they can paste in, or copy out, LaTeX code for equations. I found that the scaling of equations in Pages maintained high quality equations after appropriate scaling. There will be a learning curve for those who have not used LaTeX before, and I recommend starting with one of the many internet guides on LaTeX. The line of LaTeX symbols on the extended keyboard will ease the learning curve somewhat. I wish that the app supported landscape mode, as I like to work on Pages exclusively in landscape using the stand on my iPad case, and it is awkward having to turn the iPad as you go between modes as you develop and paste equations. My overall rating of MathBot is a 7 (out of 10).Dr. Robert Hawkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10472113163190184489noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858169258166685828.post-81491687820894556562011-06-17T17:11:00.001-03:002011-06-18T08:45:40.937-03:00Molecules<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQZ6bpoQXuJxk979-OJfwzr_eoVOlwpgItIrv_G0D8hEw2u6rlQWCw3lxsTuaOw44stEXBFWusZw5eByP82WiY_Z19p60_91zNL8I6SoboXb4NGTuxYQV888idCmHGODoxGmyj8wciycoV/s1600/MoleculesIcon.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQZ6bpoQXuJxk979-OJfwzr_eoVOlwpgItIrv_G0D8hEw2u6rlQWCw3lxsTuaOw44stEXBFWusZw5eByP82WiY_Z19p60_91zNL8I6SoboXb4NGTuxYQV888idCmHGODoxGmyj8wciycoV/s200/MoleculesIcon.png" width="200" /></a></div><br />
The app <a href="http://www.sunsetlakesoftware.com/molecules" target="_blank">Molecules</a> by Sunset Lake software renders 3D visualizations of molecules. The images are beautifully displayed, and the updating is incredibly fast and fluid even with complex molecules. This is a mature app that has been around for some time and has gone through a number of improvements.<br />
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There are two motion settings (changed with a button on the top right), one in which the image slowly rotates and the second a manual mode in which you drag your finger across then iPad (or iPhone) to see the molecule from any perspective. I particularly like the second mode when I am speaking to a class or group (with the Apple Digital AV adapter the iPad 2 display can be mirrored to a HD TV or monitor via a HDMI cable).<br />
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A control on the top right of the Molecules app display allows switching between space-filling and ball and stick representations. You can use two finger pinch to zoom in or out, and as mentioned a single finger drag to set viewing angle.<br />
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You can store a variety of molecules and easily switch between them from a list. This is particularly valuable for talks and lectures where you can set it up in advance. One user note, you only get the molecule list when in landscape mode.<br />
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<center></center><br />
The app comes with a few complex molecules pre-installed. Some<br />
reviews have unfairly claimed that the software is not suitable for teaching about simple molecules. It is an easy job to import new molecules from either the PubChem or Protein Data Bank libraries. You start by pressing (when in landscape mode) the + button (top left), then select the database. For general use select the PubChem database, then simply enter the word for the chemical or category, and it will give you a list of molecules to select for download.<br />
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To remove molecules from the list, select landscape mode, then press Edit in the top left and then delete one or more molecules. One can enter molecules manually using either URLs or the iTunes interface. I have not tried this feature.<br />
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There is some additional text information included for most molecules, which is brought forward by using the blue triangle by the name of the molecule. As well as the structural information, the journal reference is given for most complex structures.<br />
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This wonderful app was created by Brad Larson of Wisconsin. He is Chief Technology Officer at SonoPlot, Inc., a company that designs microscale fluid dispensing systems. Sunset Lake Software is his part-time venture that does application development and software consulting. Brad Larson has an undergraduate degree in chemistry and a PhD in materials science.<br />
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I have used Molecules on both my first generation iPod Touch (updated to iOS 3.1.3) and on my iPad 2 and it works flawlessly on both, so I presume it works on intermediate models as well. The app is free, and the source code can be downloaded under the BSD license.<br />
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As a university instructor I see huge potential for this app. Rather than telling students about molecular structures, Molecules can be used in a guided inquiry mode. Let students examine complex molecules from different perspectives and answer a series of questions to predict properties from structures, or to compare two similar molecules.<br />
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The Molecules app is indispensable to researchers and educators who need to present molecular structures. Students will find it an excellent resource, especially in courses such as organic chemistry or biochemistry. Considering that it is free, it is an incredibly elegant display of molecular information. I rate it at 9 (out of 10). There are few apps that as impressively demonstrate the power of iOs devices. Why not try Molecules out for yourself by downloading it <a href="http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=284943090&mt=8" target="_blank">here</a>?Dr. Robert Hawkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10472113163190184489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858169258166685828.post-28748184709689519422011-06-10T06:18:00.000-03:002011-06-10T06:18:42.463-03:00Science 360 from National Science Foundation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg67w4ZV1crK__T0p18WK0xO9p0I02F8KypBsLndAt3vvoeRXRPd5y5CEjEwhZJxkuN_uQxbuedLxs6weaqC_c-sLjVx8j3vDdtjVuF2uXvGVCktLw5V8s_xLQLZlr7AP_0Hkr32NkAqmY3/s1600/Science360.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg67w4ZV1crK__T0p18WK0xO9p0I02F8KypBsLndAt3vvoeRXRPd5y5CEjEwhZJxkuN_uQxbuedLxs6weaqC_c-sLjVx8j3vDdtjVuF2uXvGVCktLw5V8s_xLQLZlr7AP_0Hkr32NkAqmY3/s200/Science360.png" width="200" /></a></div>The National Science Foundation in the U.S.A. released on June 9, 2011 a new free iPad App called Science 360. The <a href="http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=119789&org=NSF&from=news">news release</a> explains "This application features spectacular images from NSF-funded institutions in high resolution for download to the iPad. The application also allows users to share images and video on Facebook and Twitter or via email. In addition, breaking science news is always at a user's fingertips through the application news feed."<br />
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Essentially the app is a visually intuitive and engaging front end to content available on the internet. The name comes from a 360 degree wall of thumbnail images (and in some cases videos). One can drag to view the thumbnails, then click to select. Some of the images are truly awesome. Each image has a brief caption explaining the science or application. Clicking will hide the caption and show the complete image. A few of them are videos, including one on aspects of the physics of NFL football (mainly dealing with fluid loss).<br />
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"Science360 for iPad demonstrates the successful partnerships and platforms NSF has developed with NBC Learn and LiveScience.com as well as Science Nation, to communicate science and technology discoveries to a broader audience." The app is intended for the iPad, and is <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/science360-for-ipad/id439928181?mt=8">available free from the iTunes store</a>. As it warns, the high resolution images and video are data intensive, so be cautious using this if you are on a wireless data plan and not Wifi. <br />
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For what it strives to do, it is intuitive and visually impressive. It is more a good place to occasionally browse, rather than to go specifically to learn or research a topic. I give it an overall rating of 8 (out of 10).Dr. Robert Hawkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10472113163190184489noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858169258166685828.post-32131567238716112092011-06-09T08:51:00.000-03:002011-06-09T08:54:05.494-03:00Scientific Timer: LabTimer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl5E_RXp4vD2zu-UZ6h-huXdi-fon1VXzj1cB7khkGBOEAfD3vtJGjes4UrB7RrYvt8eIUdHY2hyp_0utTdNQvdPOtKJA9ZooRyM0GXeQV82-KLhyphenhyphenAFmAqaruyIZhLUERYgyQ9T0gAKMht/s1600/LabTimer.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl5E_RXp4vD2zu-UZ6h-huXdi-fon1VXzj1cB7khkGBOEAfD3vtJGjes4UrB7RrYvt8eIUdHY2hyp_0utTdNQvdPOtKJA9ZooRyM0GXeQV82-KLhyphenhyphenAFmAqaruyIZhLUERYgyQ9T0gAKMht/s200/LabTimer.png" width="200" /></a></div>For today's review I consider using your iPhone or iPad as a timer. There are numerous apps to perform this basic task, and after considering several I selected <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/labtimer/id292202454?mt=8#">LabTimer</a> for review. My main reasons for this choice were price (free), device support (iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad) and the availability of a large number of simultaneous timers.<br />
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One of the features that I like about this particular timer is that you can have up to 16 simultaneous timers in place (on the iPad version, 4 on smaller screen devices). As shown in the screenshot, you can display four of the timers at a time, but all of them can be active and timing. I am sure there are science applications (as well as things in sports or around the house) where this flexibility is useful. By the way, you can enter names for each timer (the ones shown are just the default). To enter a timer name label just touch that field, and enter the text.<br />
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The use of the stopwatch is easy and intuitive. You press the large button which switches from a green Start to a red Stop to perform timing (can turn them on and off at will). A small icon over the timer number indicates it is paused (yellow) or timing (green triangle). When you want to reset the counter to zero you simply press the Clear button. The display is in hours:minutes:seconds. The response of the screen input limits timer apps from reliably measuring times in fractions of a second. If you do need tenths of a second, you can try the inexpensive ($0.99) <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ilab-timer-hd/id369878608?mt=8">iLab Timer HD</a>. It has lap features, useful for athletic timing.<br />
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The LabTimer app will run on iPod Touch, iPhone and iPad. I have tried it on a first generation iPod Touch (running iOS 3.1.3) and on an iPad 2. It works flawlessly on both. On small screen devices you get four timers only, otherwise functionality is the same. One nice feature is that timing will continue in the background even as you have put the app away and are working in another app.<br />
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The timer also can function as a down timer. To do this you first reset the timer, and then press the Hour, Minute and Second buttons multiple times to set them. If running in foreground an alarm goes off when it is over. One nice feature of the countdown timer is that it shows you the time (according to the clock on your device) when the timing cycle ends.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglpgnGQCCrjx-rr7JnwWLc1W6o3dPMk5cU02Npu2LxgjGesMjQ3Sl4Dl9VXld0oUJkMy5kSUXJ9ZYvctscGT_g7FuuUC16Yzs6Xa5qimAbilE8Xz-ylUCQjSc5DbnTPXmMYqhINgzvpOdi/s1600/TimerScreen.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglpgnGQCCrjx-rr7JnwWLc1W6o3dPMk5cU02Npu2LxgjGesMjQ3Sl4Dl9VXld0oUJkMy5kSUXJ9ZYvctscGT_g7FuuUC16Yzs6Xa5qimAbilE8Xz-ylUCQjSc5DbnTPXmMYqhINgzvpOdi/s400/TimerScreen.png" width="300" /></a></div>The <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/labtimer/id292202454?mt=8#">LabTimer</a> app is solid and intuitive, and the price (free) is certainly attractive. It would have been nice to squeeze out tenths of a second, and some have complained about lack of landscape mode. I give the app a rating of 8 (out of 10), and recommend it to anyone needing a timer. By the way the developer has a pay version of the app (<a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/labtimerphd/id308541911?mt=8">LabTimer PhD</a>) as a way for users to donate ($2.99) to development of the app. Do you have a favourite scientific timer app? If so, why not leave a brief description in the comment section.Dr. Robert Hawkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10472113163190184489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858169258166685828.post-82365272944974398612011-06-07T17:37:00.000-03:002017-02-17T12:22:45.633-04:00Pasco SPARKvue Data Collection<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I must admit one of the features that most intrigued me when I got my first generation iPod Touch was the built in three axis accelerometer. I just thought it was very cool that with applications such as iSeismometer you could use the Touch as a data collection device. Now, years later, the iPad has reached the point that it may well become a general purpose data collection and analysis tool. In this posting I review <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sparkvue/id361907181?mt=8">SPARKvue</a>, an app that allows one to collect data from the accelerometers, but also from a wide array of other Pasco sensors through a wireless interface. <br />
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The world of data collection, at least for high school and university physics classrooms, is largely dominated by two companies, <a href="http://www.pasco.com/">PASCO</a> and <a href="http://www.vernier.com/">Vernier</a>. The physics classroom that I teach in has a bunch of iMacs, and for each a Pasco interface box and a variety of sensors that are used through the Pasco Data Studio software. In this review I will cover the Pasco <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sparkvue/id361907181?mt=8">SPARKvue</a>, a free app for data collection. It can be used as is with the built-in accelerometers, or with a purchased bluetooth interface (called the PASPORT AirLink 2) to connect other PASCO PASPORT sensors (nearly 100 are available). For this review I have only used it with the built-in accelerometers.<br />
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When you first start the SPARKvue app it seems rather bare. I later realized this was deliberately to leave the graphical display as uncluttered as possible. You double click the display to bring up the controls, that are mainly at the four corners, and a start stop button at the bottom of the display in the centre.<br />
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After you have worked with it an hour or so the application does grow on you. To get started with a new experiment you press the + button on the top right. This brings up a dialog box that allows you to name the experiment, add a description , and also specify what is to be measured, the units, sample rate and duration of sampling. You can either have it sample continuously, or you can set it to sample for a duration such as 10 s. If you have no interface box, the only options for what to measure are either the net acceleration, or the component in the x, y or z direction (see next paragraph). For acceleration the units can be either in terms of standard m/s<span style="font-size: small;"> /s</span>, or in terms of the acceleration due to gravity, g. You can have sampling rates up to 100 Hz, but it can also be used in very slow sampling mode, e.g. you could set it to take a sample every 50 minutes. With the range of PASCO sensors, this wide range of easily set sampling rates is a nice feature.<br />
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The standard display will be an xy line graph, and the program fills in the units. One very nice feature is if you want it to auto scale so that the data fills most of the screen, you just tap with two fingers, and it does a great job! After I got used to this, I like it a lot. If you want finer control, you can pinch or drag to change the scaling or the range shown. After using the program for an hour, I found the interface (while certainly more limiting in terms of features), for basic scaling of data much easier than the Pasco Data Studio software we use on the Macs. You can add a second, third, etc. run by pressing the go/pause button that appears at the bottom of the graph. On the left of the screen will appear a little box with 1,2,3,4 etc. and an arrow. Pressing the arrow will give you the option of eliminating any sets you want just by selecting them and then delete. You can also choose which to display in the same way. You can have up to 99 data runs, although the screen would probably look pretty messy by then! There are three modes, the standard xy graph one that will be most useful, but also by sliding horizontally (in landscape mode) you can go to analog or digital meter settings.<br />
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The three axis accelerometer on the iPad (and iPhone, iPod touch) is oriented in the following way. If you hold the iPad vertically in portrait mode so that the Home button is at the bottom, then the x axis is horizontally (positive to the right), and the y axis is vertically. The z axis is obviously perpendicular to the display. It samples to 100 Hz, and I believe the maximum range is +/- 2g (I could not find this definitively anywhere).<br />
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The program has very limited abilities to analyze the data compared to the full Mac versions of PASCO software. There is a summation symbol near the bottom right, and when you press that it will give you some basic information like the mean value, min, max, data point count and the standard deviation. This may be useful if students do multiple runs of the same experiment. A screen capture from my iPad showing a typical display is here, along with the data summary.<br />
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If you teach basic general relativity one nice feature is that if you simply measure the vertical component of the acceleration when it is fixed it will read (about) 9.8 m/s/s. A very elegant demonstration that you can't tell the difference between being in a gravitational field, and an accelerated reference frame. This also, using the mean and standard deviation features on a data set, allows your students to find g to rather good precision very simply. <br />
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In most cases you will want to export the data for further manipulation. There is a curved arrow icon on the bottom right that allows you to email the data in comma separated format for use in a spreadsheet program. If (and only if) you have a single data run, the same button will export the data to Numbers (if you have it on your iPad) and it opens perfectly, with columns labelled. Very slick! <br />
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The app will run on iPod touch (as long as running iOS 3.1.3 or later), iPhone or iPad (either original or 2). It uses 1.6 MB of memory. <br />
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It is very nice that they gave this away in a useful mode even if you don't buy a wireless interface and any sensors. Of course, it would have been even nicer if they had built in use of the microphone for sound waveform display, or perhaps even the camera as a rough light sensor. The software could also be more fully featured, e.g. allowing such simple manipulations as subtracting a constant value, or a simple fit.<br />
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Nevertheless, I am impressed with the app, and I am sure that additional versions will bring new features. It offers exciting possibilities for having your students make measurements at the amusement park, in a moving vehicle (as long as they are not the driver!), or on the playground. Overall I give it 8 (out of 10). It's free, why not download it and give it a spin yourself? If your students have used it for some innovative applications, why don't you (or they) leave a comment below. I will update this if we get the bluetooth interface so I can try some of our sensors.<br />
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<i>Note (2017): There have been many changes to Pasco SPARKvue since this was written. We will be doing a full review of the current version later in 2017.</i>Dr. Robert Hawkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10472113163190184489noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858169258166685828.post-90792708630724847952011-06-01T08:59:00.000-03:002011-06-15T06:05:13.118-03:00Exoplanet<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQK8BE2AorsPScynZEv1ufjy4nf6J5hZhkb_sB0Uzhr2xo7fWS7FZdvWflyYagCSWRvHF8Rw3i1OueQNfYyJnYz7_S8fK99_vTe_obu4oUhqGgrjy3XQ53LBH1FwtWesqkXi_TAJTNbNKd/s1600/Exoplanet.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQK8BE2AorsPScynZEv1ufjy4nf6J5hZhkb_sB0Uzhr2xo7fWS7FZdvWflyYagCSWRvHF8Rw3i1OueQNfYyJnYz7_S8fK99_vTe_obu4oUhqGgrjy3XQ53LBH1FwtWesqkXi_TAJTNbNKd/s320/Exoplanet.png" width="210" /></a></div>A couple of decades ago the only planets known were those in our own solar system, but at an ever increasing rate new planets are being discovered around other stars - exoplanets (or extrasolar planets). Fortunately there is a superb, and free, app that keeps you up to date with this rapidly changing field, <a href="http://exoplanet.hanno-rein.de/iphone/">Exoplanet</a>. It is one of the best designed science apps that I have seen, and will appeal to those with just a curious interest in this field or those who do research in the field.<br />
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It is first and foremost a frequently updated (incorporates push notifications) database with detailed information on each exoplanet (it is based on the publicly available <a href="https://github.com/hannorein/open_exoplanet_catalogue/">Open Exoplanet Catalogue</a>, maintained by the app author, Hanno Rein). For example, it includes such information as the orbital parameters and estimated mass and radius of the exoplanet, as well as the mass, distance, spectral type and metallicity (to astronomers metallicity refers to the fraction of the mass in elements other than hydrogen and helium) of the parent star. One of the best features is that it has links to the actual scientific publications, and/or preprints on the arXiv preprint server, that describe the discovery.<br />
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But it is so much more than just a database. The visualizations are superb. If you click on a specific exoplanet that was discovered using transit techniques it shows you the light curve dip as the planet crosses the parent star, a rotating visualization of the exoplanet compared to solar system planets, a star map showing the parent star and a planetary system plot for the parent star with the habitable zone, the region where water based life could survive, shown in green. If you click on an exoplanet discovered using the RV (radial velocity) method the simulation shows the plot of the orbital motion of the exoplanet and star, and a graph of the Doppler spectroscopy for the discovery.<br />
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I also like the correlation diagram section that allows students to look at how two parameters compare. For example is eccentricity correlated with orbital period for exoplanet discoveries. This is a powerful tool for students to study systematic biases in exoplanet data, as well as to look for trends that may give hints about planetary system formation. The parameters that can be correlated include the orbital parameters semi-major axis, orbital period, eccentricity; the physical parameters mass, radius; stellar parameters such as distance and metallicity; and other factors such as discovery year.<br />
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There is also a Milky Way feature that allows you to zoom in and to see the precise location of exoplanets within a galactic context.<br />
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I have used the Exoplanet app on hardware ranging from a first generation iPod Touch (needs 3.13 operating system) to an iPad 2, and it works flawlessly on both. As expected, the user experience is much better on the iPad where it takes full advantage of the larger screen. <br />
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So who is the author of this amazing app? Dr. <a href="http://hanno-rein.de/">Hanno Rein</a> is a researcher at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, after having completed a PhD at Cambridge with the Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics group (his thesis title is "The effects of stochastic forces on the evolution of planetary systems and Saturn's rings" and was defended late in 2010). You can see a list of his research publications using the <a href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-abs_connect?db_key=AST&db_key=PRE&qform=AST&arxiv_sel=astro-ph&author=Rein%2C+Hanno&sort=CITATIONS">NASA ADS</a> system. <br />
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Rating: 10 (out of 10) - yes it really is that good!Dr. Robert Hawkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10472113163190184489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858169258166685828.post-7374600239268409972011-05-31T09:02:00.000-03:002011-06-06T21:42:58.825-03:00Wolfram Alpha<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnAFPXGqh8qsDM23DVm7RCQ1xVLj-XjZatJ_aIDWTFRuv9kFfv4GN5GQ6HScPia8td_KR5563EdELbzViv1NoukE6HB-YMFE4HhWDKl-kKaQCUbHXldFGJ3XKbxARPvbSzTFgTLndA2W-S/s1600/Alpha.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnAFPXGqh8qsDM23DVm7RCQ1xVLj-XjZatJ_aIDWTFRuv9kFfv4GN5GQ6HScPia8td_KR5563EdELbzViv1NoukE6HB-YMFE4HhWDKl-kKaQCUbHXldFGJ3XKbxARPvbSzTFgTLndA2W-S/s200/Alpha.png" width="200" /></a></div>The <a href="http://products.wolframalpha.com/mobile/">Wolfram Alpha iPhone/iPad app</a> is a convenient way to access mathematical and scientific resources from Wolfram on your your iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch. While similar resources can be accessed directly from the <a href="http://www.wolframalpha.com/">Wolfram Alpha website</a>, the app offers an easier interface, and now it is very reasonably priced at just $1.99. Note that although it works on both iPad and iPhone, there are two different apps so make sure you purchase the right one (for this review I have only tried it on an iPad). They also have a copy for Android based tablets.<br />
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The Wolfram Alpha resource, called a knowledge engine, is somewhat unconventional, and I found the coverage of areas of science uneven, but this is a real gem for any students or professionals in mathematics and science. It is nice in that you simply can type what you want in a way that is similar to everyday life - e.g. typing "integrate cos x dx from x=0 to pi" will then produce the symbolic form for the integral, the answer (0 in this case) and a graph with the integral area shaded.<br />
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Even if you use only the mathematical features, it is well worth the investment. For example, if you want to perform symbolic algebraic derivatives or integrals, it is simply a matter of entering the input function. There are also tools for numerically computing functions and definite integrals. It comes with samples, and most of the time you can go to one of these, and then change the function to meet your needs. A particularly nice feature is there is a link to show the intermediate steps in a solution that can be turned on or off. Functions are plotted automatically as part of the solution, and alternative forms are often displayed. The matrix operations are nice - provide the entries for a matrix, and it will show you the determinant, trace, eigenvectors and eigenvalues, for example.<br />
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The Statistics and Data Analysis has a number of very useful features, including the possibility of doing regression analysis with linear, cubic and exponential fits. It also does various distributions including norma and Poisson. Those with a more elementary interest in the topic of probability and statistics may want to play with entering different numbers of coin tosses, and check out the probability of various answers (e.g. there is apparently a 14% chance of exactly equal numbers of heads and tails if you do 32 coin flips).<br />
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I explored the engineering functions a little bit. One topic that I am interested in is the design of digital filters, and it allows you to design Chebyshev type 2 filters, for example. It comes up with a canned example, but if you click on change input values it allows you to specify the gain, cut-ff attenuation, stopband attenuation, and frequency range, and it will both compute the filter and show a pole-zero plot as well as the response function. Very nice!<br />
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Units and measures will be helpful to most users. The open format allows you to type in something like "25 acres in hectares" and it gives the result, as well as additional conversions. It also will display comparisons (e.g. in this case it told me that 25 acres is about 1.8 times the area of the base of the Great Pyramid in Gaza). <br />
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To see how much more there is beyond the categories given, I tried a topic from general relativity, typing in gravitational time dilation. What it came up with was the closest match of time dilation, which was simply the special relativity time dilation. Therefore those not familiar with an area have to be careful that it is giving you what you want. I think the tool is best used as a way to rapidly perform computations, or to independently check a computation. It is useful, for the topics covered, in an instructional mode using the show steps feature. <br />
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Now at $1.99 (initially it was many times this cost) it is hard to argue that any scientist or engineer should not purchase this app! I think many others, including those with an armchair interest in science, will find it a fascinating way to explore topics from a wide range of topics. In that connection the sections Interesting Modern Results and Famous Paradoxes are good starting places. For example, Famous Paradoxes in physics include the twin paradox in special relativity, the Boltzmann paradox and the EPR paradox in quantum mechanics.<br />
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It will also be useful beyond science of course. I typed the name of my small town (Sackville) and it gave the current population, a map, distances to nearby towns and cities, as well as the current weather, coordinates, etc. The Word Properties section allows you to do everything from finding words that rhyme with another word, to finding synonyms of words (and a lot more). It even allows you to type Scrabble xylophone, for example, and it confirms that it is a word, and will give you the scrabble score for the word.<br />
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I give it a rating of 9.0 (out of 10). It is excellent value for the money, is amazing particularly for mathematical computations, and is a broad and useful resource. It is the somewhat uneven coverage that keeps me from giving it a perfect 10.Dr. Robert Hawkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10472113163190184489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858169258166685828.post-70592433930384109392010-12-10T08:12:00.000-04:002011-06-03T11:05:41.797-03:00What Others are Writing....<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbL_1XviLbBPJiJw-mQA9bXMCiCK9MasnD32dpIU0X23kvXK6lSCCG0oANKgRQyM_CDP5SE-SbnUQ73ok9yRqxo_bWyM4a2DTfua2mhM9YZsOtg651q-8Bh8qQcjf1qCZIK_Wkj0y96HRk/s1600/ipad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbL_1XviLbBPJiJw-mQA9bXMCiCK9MasnD32dpIU0X23kvXK6lSCCG0oANKgRQyM_CDP5SE-SbnUQ73ok9yRqxo_bWyM4a2DTfua2mhM9YZsOtg651q-8Bh8qQcjf1qCZIK_Wkj0y96HRk/s200/ipad.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Morguefile image by Phaewilk</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I thought that it might be good for the first real post to put together a summary of articles and websites on science apps for the iPhone/Touch.<br />
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While it was now written a couple of years ago, the Wired article by Alexis Madrigal is still a good starting place for science app information (<a href="http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/07/20-iphone-apps/">see here</a>). While the detail on each app is very limited (usually just a sentence), it is a good place to start. It covers 22 apps from a variety of different areas of science.<br />
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Written about the same time (mid 2008) <a href="http://seedmagazine.com/content/article/say_hello_to_sci-phone/">article</a> in SeedMagazine rates the top 10 science apps of the time, covering apps from biology, astronomy, calculators and more.<br />
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In July 2010 a <a href="http://sciblogs.co.nz/griffins-gadgets/2010/07/19/best-science-apps-for-the-ipad/">blogger reviewed the best science apps for the iPad</a>. While only apps are covered, it does include a good amount of detail in the review of most of them. <br />
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The Christian Science Monitor did a nice article recently on the <a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2010/0524/A-rundown-of-the-best-iPad-astronomy-apps">best astronomy apps for the iPad</a>. This is an area that is especially rich in coverage, with several good options, and a personal interest of mine, so expect to see more on this later!. But in the meantime, this is a great starting point for astro enthusiasts looking for some great apps.<br />
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A biotechnology oriented, and brief, look at some apps is available <a href="http://my.biotechlife.net/2009/01/20/top-10-life-science-related-apps-for-the-iphone-and-ipod-touch/">here</a>. By the way, the Papers app is very much reality, and has been for some time, and is one of my favourites I will write more on later. An updated few additions from biotechlife is available <a href="http://my.biotechlife.net/2010/02/08/more-life-science-apps-for-iphone-and-ipod-touch/">here</a>. <br />
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A.J. Lentini wrote a brief article on 10 worthwhile science apps which is available <a href="http://www.articlesbase.com/science-articles/10-best-iphone-apps-for-science-majors-1214057.html">here</a>. <br />
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The CNET folks (or at least the Australian branch) did a really nice analysis of some <a href="http://www.cnet.com.au/free-science-iphone-apps-339302527.htm">great free iPhone science apps</a> that you can read here. While the list is limited, it does do a great job of identifying several that I consider personal favourites, and this would be a good place to start your search.<br />
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If you have come across a good article or blog on this topic, why not write a comment and leave the link (even if you wrote the article yourself!).Dr. Robert Hawkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10472113163190184489noreply@blogger.com0