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Can Mathematics be done on Pocket PCs? When we first seriously investigated this question in the Fall of 2002, we expected that the answer was no. We knew that we could do some simple calculator mathematics and thought there was not much out there. However, if you dig deep enough and put in the right combination of phrases in one of the well know search engines, you will find some interesting results. Some of these results were reported at recent ICTCM (International Conference on Technology in Collegiate Mathematics) meetings (see Paper (ICTCM 2002) and List of Links for Mathematics on Pocket Computers). Of course, one might ask why do mathematics on Pocket PCs. We can address that issue later, though we would like to note that it is possible that such handheld devices may become more abundant over the next decade.
NEW Review of Mathematics on Pocket PCs - New Orleans ICTCM 2004 - PPT (4 MB)
[This is the beginning of a list of programs that run on Handheld and Pocket PC devices.]
RDCalc http://ravend.com/ The best programmable graphing calculator for the PPC with loads of hidden features, including a nice periodic table and tables of physical constants.
GraphData This utility was written as a tool for plotting and analysis of data captured from Pocket Excel. Linear, exponential, power law and inverse relations can be fitted to the data. This program can be found in the iLumina Digital Library and further information can be found at people.uncw.edu/hermanr. (http://aa.uncw.edu/numina/graphdata/ )
AutoGraph http://www.developerone.com/pocketpc/autograph/ Pocket AutoGraph makes is used to quickly create graphs from the data in Pocket Excel spreadsheets.
Gnuplot on WinCE http://www.rainer-keuchel.de/wince/gnuplot-ce.html One of many ports of open source packages to earlier versions of HPC and PPC operating systems.
MRI Graphing Calculator - http://www.mathresources.com/ This is another powerful graphing and scientific calculator for PPC.
Ptab - http://www.z4soft.com/ PTab is a fully functional spreadsheet with the features of common desktop spreadsheets.
Pocket Atlantis http://www.sigmasoftc.com/products/pocket_atlantis/ This is a recent package with both PPC and desktop applications for graphing and performing numerical computations, such as numerical integration of single through triple integrals.
Math.NET http://www.cdrnet.net/projects/nmath/demos.asp This is a library of graphing and computational utilities being developed for programmers. While seemingly incomplete, there may be something interesting in the future from this site.
Vinny Graph for PPC http://home.earthlink.net/~vsansevero/vgpocket.html.
Euclid - http://www.poliplus.com/ Euclid is an interactive mathematics visualization environment for dynamic geometry in which users can draw shapes and transform them while measuring important geometric relations. It needs Jeode JVM and currently only works on specific machines.
Formulae 1 http://www.poliplus.com/ F1 is a CAS that can perform mathematical calculations from simple algebra to complex calculus both numerically and symbolic. It needs Jeode JVM and currently only works on specific machines.
Math Xpander http://www.saltire.com/xpander.html Created in the laboratories at Hewlett Packard Math Xpander supports graphic, symbolic, and numeric computations. There is a Desktop emulator and this package is the engine for the Cassio ClassPad 300 http://www.classpad.org/.
Maxima on WinCE http://www.rainer-keuchel.de/wince/maxima-ce.html (This is a WinCE Version by General Paranoyaxc Software http://www.rainer-keuchel.de.) Maxima is a Common Lisp implementation of MIT's Macsyma system for computer based algebra. [There is a free desktop version as well: This and more can be found at http://www.ma.utexas.edu/users/wfs/maxima.html. )
PARI-GP is a software package for computer-aided number theory. http://www.symbolictools.de/public/pocketconsole/applications/Pari/index.htm or the Paranoyaxc Software version called GPARI http://www.rainer-keuchel.de/wince/gpari.html
Scheme is a programming language. This platform is needed to run JACAL.
SCM is one implementation of Scheme by Aubry Jaffer and others. http://www.symbolictools.de/public/pocketconsole/applications/scm/index.htm. This version uses PocketConsole (a Windows NT-like console for PPC) http://www.symbolictools.de/public/pocketconsole/applications/scm/index.htm This requires command prompt shell CMD http://www.symbolictools.de/public/pocketconsole/applications/cmd/index.htm or PocketCMD http://www.symbolictools.de/public/pocketconsole/applications/PocketCMD/index.htm.
General Paranoyaxc also has a port of SCM for the HPC and PPC http://www.rainer-keuchel.de/wince/scm-ce.html
Pocket Scheme http://www.mazama.net/scheme/pscheme.htm is another port of SCM to the PPC.
JACAL http://swiss.csail.mit.edu/~jaffer/JACAL is a symbolic mathematics system for the simplification and manipulation of equations and algebraic expressions constructed of numbers, variables, radicals, and algebraic functions, differential, and holonomic functions. It runs under the Scheme environment. It is typically part of the installation of the above Scheme implementations.
OpenLisp http://christian.jullien.free.fr/ This is a commercial Lisp package with a version for PPC2002 that can be downloaded for free for noncommercial use.
Data Harvest DATAQ System http://www.data-harvest.co.uk/ This system works on handhelds and pocket PCs with a variety of probes and can use many of the Vernier probes. Flash Logger http://www.flashlogger.com/ The EasySense Flash card logger slips solidly into the Compact Flash expansion slot of your Pocket PC to form a completely integrated probe solution. This is also a product of Data Harvest. [See above.]
LaTeX on WinCE http://www.rainer-keuchel.de/wince/texce.html Standard LaTeX editing and viewing through a dvi-previewer is possible on handheld and pocket devices.
Frequency Tuner http://www.frequencytuner.solcon.nl/ This is a program that can measure the frequency of a sound and convert it to a note.
HASA 2.1 http://www.equatesystems.com/pocketpc/ HASA is a handheld audio frequency spectrum analyzer which displays frequency spectra in real time as sounds are picked up by the built-in microphone.
Pocket Hyperchem http://www.hyper.com/ Pocket HyperChem is an integrated and flexible molecular modeling product for researchers, educators, and students, presenting molecular mechanics and semi-empirical quantum mechanics calculations. This software demonstrates the capabilities of what can be done on handheld devices that a decade ago could only be done on large machines - visualizing and analyzing molecular dynamics
Pocket Oscillator http://www.equatesystems.com/pocketpc/ In Pocket Oscillator audio signals can be generated and manipulated in a Pocket PC 2002 environment.
Fractal Generators - There are several fractal generating programs.
Mandelbrot & Co 2003 http://members.chello.nl/~p.meuwissen/MandelbrotPPC/ This is a fast renderer of fractals similar to Fractint http://spanky.triumf.ca/www/fractint/fractint.html
PocketFract http://www.pocketpcfreewares.com/index.php?soft=306 is a Mandelbrot set generator for Pocket PC.
RPS/Fract http://www.persicke.de/wincefree.htm is a fractal generator for PPC.
Rubik's Cube - Try different Rubik's Cube Applications - http://www.pdaadvanced.com/html/product.asp?ID=13, http://www.valil.com/netcf/index.html
Linux/Unix Some places to look for embedded Linux OS are http://www.linuxda.com/ for Palm III. The NetBSD Operating System is a fully functional Open Source UNIX-like operating system. http://www.netbsd.org/ However, at this time it appears that there Linux OS are restricted to certain platforms.
Palm Pilot There are several programs for doing mathematics on Palm Pilots. However, there appears to be quite a bit more for devices running the PPC 2002 OS. Other site summaries for Mathematics on Palm OS
Pocket Console http://www.symbolictools.de/public/pocketconsole/index.htm#download
Command Prompts http://www.symbolictools.de/public/pocketconsole/applications/cmd/index.htm http://www.symbolictools.de/public/pocketconsole/applications/PocketCMD/index.htm
MS Embedded Visual Tools This free environment
coupled with appropriate SDKs (Microsoft development packages) allows users to
program in embedded Visual C++ or embedded Visual Basic to create stand alone
applications that run on pocket and handheld computers.
http://www.microsoft.com/mobile/downloads/emvt30.asp
Visual Studio .NET http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/ This next wave of programming includes embedded programming, which is also important in mobile phones systems, and is combining the embedded environment into that for standard PC operating systems.
Pocket GCC http://mifki.ru/pocketgcc/ is an open-source mutliplatform C/C++ compiler and supporting tools.
Flash Math http://www.friendsofed.com/fmc/downloads/
Examples of creative uses of Macromedia Flash using simple mathematics routines.
Macromedia Flash Player for PPC Macromedia Flash 6.0 files can be viewed on systems with Pocket PC 2002. http://www.macromedia.com/software/devices/products/pocketpc/downloads/
Numina II SRS http://aa.uncwil.edu/numina/srs/ This is a Web-based student response system that uses a combination of wireless networks, handheld computers, and a data projector to allow students to submit responses to questions posed by an instructor. The instructor poses a question in a multiple-choice, true/false, yes/no, or opinion-based format and directs students to a Web site that generates a form on their computer screens through which they submit their responses.
Russell L. Herman is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at UNCW. This is an evolving article and is based upon work of the Numina Group and with Dr. Gabriel Lugo, who is also in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at UNCW.