Computer Hardware, Mathematica Program, and Classroom Budget

In a scenario-based activity, I was offered to select and purchase one program software for the existing computer in my class. Moreover, I was told to demonstrate the impact of the selected software on student learning. In addition, I was told that no additional funds will be available to upgrade our classroom computer. I was also given three catalogs using which I may purchase the software.  

Given that my course is in mathematics (Algebra) and that I have always had a good impression of the Mathematica program, I decided on purchasing Mathematica 7. Explored the three catalogs, and selected K12 Software for their suitable price. Mathematica is a powerful program software which may be used in most (if not all) secondary and post-secondary mathematics courses. I have used this program in most of my undergraduate math courses.

In addition to computation, Mathematica may be used for “modeling, simulation, visualization, development, documentation, and deployment…[with] unprecedented workflow, coherence, reliability, and innovation”  (Anonymous, n.d., para. 1). After exploring the new features of Mathematica 7, I determined this program, indeed, will maximize my students’ understanding of Algebra and will further stimulate their interests in mathematics.

In general, identifying software’s system requirements—before purchasing—is strongly recommended. For a software program to function properly, one has to pay a close attention to its system requirements which include the minimum (and recommended) specifications of the necessary computer hardware and operating system. Shelly, Gunter, and Gunter (2010) define hardware as the “electronic and mechanical equipment that makes up a computer” (p. 4) and operating system as the system software containing “instructions that coordinates all the activities of the hardware devices in a computer (p. 136).

Given my strong background in computer hardware and software, I had no difficulty using Windows operating system to obtain the desired information. So, to obtain the desired information, I used Microsoft’s “System” tool in the “Control Panel.” The corresponding information follows:

Operating System: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium—Service Pack 2
System Type: 32-bit Operating System
Processor Type & Speed: Intel Core Quad CPU @ 2.66 GHz
Memory (RAM): 4.00 GB
Screen Resolution: 1680x1050 pixels
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce 8500 GT
Monitor: HP x2207 wide LCD
Free Disk Space:    56.1 GB

In addition, to identify (complete) minimum system requirements for Mathematica 7, I checked the manufacturer’s Website (Wolfram Research). The corresponding information follows:

Microsoft Windows: Windows Server 2003, XP, Vista (32- or 64-bit)
Minimum Memory: 256 MB (Recommended: 1 GB or greater)
Minimum Free Disk Space: 4 GB

Given the information, I determined that our computer meets all the suggested minimum system requirements. After purchasing the software, I installed the software with no difficulty. However, the process of certain matrix operations (especially multiplications) and graphing more complex equations are relatively slow.

It is suggested that Mathematica 7 requires “little memory to start and run, but with large calculations (e.g., large matrix operations and graphics), the memory requirements can grow quickly” (Anonymous, n.d., para 2). In this regard, increasing the memory (RAM) size and hard disk space will be our priority as soon as the budget would be available in the future—the more RAM and disk space (will be used if RAM is insufficient), the more efficiently Mathematica 7 will operate.

References

Anonymous (n.d.). Wolfram Technical Support Center. Wolfram Mathematica 7. Retrieved Oct. 14, 2010, from http://support.wolfram.com/technotes/requirements.html

Shelly, G. B., Gunter, G. A., Gunter, R. E. (2010). Integrating technology and digital media in the classroom. (6th ed.). Boston: Course Technology.