convenient and important the work of the tutor in
these cases.
Is of great importance that students learn to
discriminate the information obtained by browsing
the Internet and know that not all information is
equally valid or good. In addition, they must also
learn to develop the information obtained with their
own words, so they understand all the read and learn
how to summarize it.
2.3 Activities and Useful Tools
The ICT provide the students the possibility of
simulating experiences and of raising very different
situations, comparing them, something that manually
can be difficult or at least tedious in the majority of
the cases. It allows them, for example, to
include/understand the true reach of a problem or the
effectiveness of an algorithm analyzing the initial
results obtained when varying the hypotheses, initial
conditions, etc. Thus we can mention, in addition,
other possibilities that can be useful for math
subjects:
• To graphically represent successive curves that
shows the different solutions from a problem.
• To modify, to suggest to the student the data of
the proposed problem and to see the
repercussions of these modifications in the
solution.
• The conviction power that gives the
accomplishment of the calculations with
computer in the presence of the students.
• To represent graphically, in seconds, all the
solutions of different problems.
Thus, using computers in the classroom, it is
possible to offer to the school students’ more and
more complete and deep formation in mathematics,
that allow them to face their future professional
activity, adapting to the advances of science and
technology. From the appearance of computer
science, one of the main utilities of the computer in
relation to the mathematical work has been the case
of numerical calculation. Nevertheless, the
mathematical applications in engineering require not
only of numerical calculation, but rather an algebraic
mixture of numerical calculations and manipulations
on mathematical formulas. The symbolic calculation
is indeed the technology specialized in the automatic
manipulation of formulas, vectors, matrices, etc.,
with numerical and/or symbolic elements. It is in
this specialty where the use of specialized software
is especially useful, as can be the packages of
symbolic calculation Mathematica (Wolfram, 1999),
Maple (Bauldry, 1995), or Matlab (Moler, 2004).
These software packages have syntax easy to learn,
since the orders and commands remember the
mathematical operations that they execute and,
therefore, its learning is fast and intuitive. In
addition, the aid that offers these software packages
is very complete and is informed with numerous
examples. The University of Salamanca owns a
license “Campus” for some of the versions of this
mathematical software.
Mathematica package is a system of computer
algebra originally developed by Stephen Tungsten. It
is also a powerful programming language that
emulates manifolds paradigms using re-writing of
terms. It uses code blocks (bookstores), to extend the
capacities and to reorient the calculation. The
programming language of Mathematica supports the
use of functional programming and procedures
(although generally, the functional programming is
more efficient). It is implemented in a variant of the
Object Oriented Programming language C, but the
thickness of the extensive code of bookstores in fact
is written in the Mathematica language, that can be
used to extend the algebraic system.
Unlike other languages, like Maple or Matlab,
Mathematica tries to use the transformation rules
that know as much in every moment as it is possible,
trying to reach a stable point. In a basic level,
Mathematica can be used to realise numerical and
symbolic calculations, as well as to realise graphical
representations of functions. But in more advanced
levels, it can also be used like programming
language of great versatility to own built-in
functions and instructions that in the traditional
languages would require additional routines.
At the School of Industrial Engineering in Béjar,
we use both Mathematica and Matlab. The first one
has a great advantage that could be use together with
the network through the WebMathematica
environment. We do not know that possibility for the
case of Matlab. On the other hand, Matlab with
Simulink is the math software preferred by engineers
for its versatility and utility in simulation process
and toolbox availability.
3 LINEAR ALGEBRA SUBJECT
An important task for engineers is to learn how it is
possible to model daily events and objects with
mathematical tools. It is considered that problem
solving is an important part of their education; by
interpreting such problems as a context within which
they can apply Mathematics in general and Linear
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