Excuse my poor english language...
To be, or not to be in accordance with me (see next text) : that is my question :
Grapher 1.1 problems
Grapher 1.1 (from Apple) comes from Curvus Pro X 1.3.2 (from Arizona) ; Curvus Pro is stiil working very well on my iMac Intel 20" with OS X 10.4.8 then 10.4.9, Grapher no.
Why Apple placed it in Utilities instead of Applications ? Such a mathematical program is not an OS X utilitiy but a genuine Application devoted to maths.
Today Grapher 1.1 is Curvus Pro plus a lot of bugs which dissuade using it. Curvus Pro Help was very good and pedagogic, Grapher's one is deficient without proper definitions of coordinates.
Here are the bugs :
1) The graph size is set in Format > Lay out but when changing the working window size, the graph size changes as well ! It's very unpleasant.
2) Save, Save as... : suppose you stop working a graph and let it unfinished, you need to save it, use Save as xxx , close Grapher, later recall your file .gcx, and how surprising ! The graph size is changed, axis ranges too, inserted objects have moved. Very very unpleasant.
3) The Inspector allows you to move axes names all along an axis and both sides of it in Curvus Pro ; with Grapher only on side of axis is allowed ! Why ? It's a small bug but a bug.
4) Let's go now to the main problems. Coordinates names cannot be changed in Grapher and are supposed to be the default ones used in Curvus Pro. May be, but what are these names ? Nothing in the Help but x, y. Format > Graph Templates in 2D shows us they are x, y, r, THETA. Examples > 2D examples > Implicit & explicit curves, parametric curves gives us x, y, r, PHI ! IS IT PHI OR THETA ? Let's try : using a 2D examples it's phi and it won't work if you replace phi by theta ; typing a hand made equation needs theta because it will not work with phi ! MAY I REMENBER MATHEMATICS ARE THE KINGDOM OF PRECISE DEFINITIONS.
5) Moving to 3D world. There are three coordinates system, cartesian, cylindrical and spherical ; x, y, z cartesian ; cylindrical : r0, z, and PHI OR THETA like in 2D ; Examples > Torus-Knot, uses phi and it's OK , type 2t instead of t it works well; use the window of this template, enter a new equation by Equations > New equation from templates > Cylindrical Surface , enter r0=t, phi=t, z=1, Enter, its OK, but replace phi by theta , no good ; now type the same parametrical equation after File > New...> 3D Graph using Window > Equation palette you have to use theta and not phi ! IS IT PHI OR THETA ?
6) 3D spherical coordinates, what are they ? Nobody knows ! There is no Examples using them*; in Format > Axes & Frame > cancel all check marks but the Azimuyth Angular Axis and you'll see there is no such axis on the graph (it should be the height axis). Equation > New Equation from Template > Spherical > propose r, phi, theta (same in Curvus Pro) but it's false. Equation > New Point Set > Edit Points... > Coordinates > Spherical System > PROPOSE R, THETA, THETA*! ! ! Shall I laugh at it ? I do not know today the names of the three spherical coordinates...
It's a pity to see what Apple has done with the perfect Curvus Pro X 1.3.2 I bought threee years ago to Arizona with special congratulations to the author. I hope that somebody will repair Grapher, place it among the Applications instead of Utilities (for dignity of mathematics), and add a good Help, because this free program should be very usefull for maths teachers, students or amateurs and very ludic for everybody (superb 3D images & animations).
What can I do for Apple's Grapher ? I built a personal Aide (in French) for Curvus Pro using mainly Copy-Paste of Arizona Help files and an add-on about all coordinates and equations used in this application (this was not very good in Curvus Pro Help).I don't know if I can join it to this text but I'll try to do so ; if no result please e-mail me !
YB24
To be, or not to be in accordance with me (see next text) : that is my question :
Grapher 1.1 problems
Grapher 1.1 (from Apple) comes from Curvus Pro X 1.3.2 (from Arizona) ; Curvus Pro is stiil working very well on my iMac Intel 20" with OS X 10.4.8 then 10.4.9, Grapher no.
Why Apple placed it in Utilities instead of Applications ? Such a mathematical program is not an OS X utilitiy but a genuine Application devoted to maths.
Today Grapher 1.1 is Curvus Pro plus a lot of bugs which dissuade using it. Curvus Pro Help was very good and pedagogic, Grapher's one is deficient without proper definitions of coordinates.
Here are the bugs :
1) The graph size is set in Format > Lay out but when changing the working window size, the graph size changes as well ! It's very unpleasant.
2) Save, Save as... : suppose you stop working a graph and let it unfinished, you need to save it, use Save as xxx , close Grapher, later recall your file .gcx, and how surprising ! The graph size is changed, axis ranges too, inserted objects have moved. Very very unpleasant.
3) The Inspector allows you to move axes names all along an axis and both sides of it in Curvus Pro ; with Grapher only on side of axis is allowed ! Why ? It's a small bug but a bug.
4) Let's go now to the main problems. Coordinates names cannot be changed in Grapher and are supposed to be the default ones used in Curvus Pro. May be, but what are these names ? Nothing in the Help but x, y. Format > Graph Templates in 2D shows us they are x, y, r, THETA. Examples > 2D examples > Implicit & explicit curves, parametric curves gives us x, y, r, PHI ! IS IT PHI OR THETA ? Let's try : using a 2D examples it's phi and it won't work if you replace phi by theta ; typing a hand made equation needs theta because it will not work with phi ! MAY I REMENBER MATHEMATICS ARE THE KINGDOM OF PRECISE DEFINITIONS.
5) Moving to 3D world. There are three coordinates system, cartesian, cylindrical and spherical ; x, y, z cartesian ; cylindrical : r0, z, and PHI OR THETA like in 2D ; Examples > Torus-Knot, uses phi and it's OK , type 2t instead of t it works well; use the window of this template, enter a new equation by Equations > New equation from templates > Cylindrical Surface , enter r0=t, phi=t, z=1, Enter, its OK, but replace phi by theta , no good ; now type the same parametrical equation after File > New...> 3D Graph using Window > Equation palette you have to use theta and not phi ! IS IT PHI OR THETA ?
6) 3D spherical coordinates, what are they ? Nobody knows ! There is no Examples using them*; in Format > Axes & Frame > cancel all check marks but the Azimuyth Angular Axis and you'll see there is no such axis on the graph (it should be the height axis). Equation > New Equation from Template > Spherical > propose r, phi, theta (same in Curvus Pro) but it's false. Equation > New Point Set > Edit Points... > Coordinates > Spherical System > PROPOSE R, THETA, THETA*! ! ! Shall I laugh at it ? I do not know today the names of the three spherical coordinates...
It's a pity to see what Apple has done with the perfect Curvus Pro X 1.3.2 I bought threee years ago to Arizona with special congratulations to the author. I hope that somebody will repair Grapher, place it among the Applications instead of Utilities (for dignity of mathematics), and add a good Help, because this free program should be very usefull for maths teachers, students or amateurs and very ludic for everybody (superb 3D images & animations).
What can I do for Apple's Grapher ? I built a personal Aide (in French) for Curvus Pro using mainly Copy-Paste of Arizona Help files and an add-on about all coordinates and equations used in this application (this was not very good in Curvus Pro Help).I don't know if I can join it to this text but I'll try to do so ; if no result please e-mail me !
YB24