 |
Educational Programming Languages
(Logo, Basic, Mindstorms, Squeak, StarLogo, Pascal, ...)
Mathematica represents a dramatic advance in educational programming
languages. With their base in decades-old technology, earlier languages had never succeeded in providing a truly compelling programming
environment for children. But with its uniquely accessible architecture and broad support for modern computing, Mathematica brings serious computing to students from elementary grades on.
In Mathematica, remarkably short and easy-to-read programs let students quickly set up sophisticated computations, create elaborate 2D and 3D graphics, animations, sounds and dynamic user interfaces that support the latest gamepads and other devices—and access large volumes of real-world data. The growing Wolfram Demonstrations Project provides thousands of examples of programs by master programmers that students can immediately use and enjoy, then read, modify and use as a basis for their own Mathematica programs.
A unique opportunity for today's students, Mathematica gives them equal access to the
very same
tools being used by the world's leading researchers, including Mathematica's unique ability to mix active computations with textual documents. Built to be consistent and easy to learn, Mathematica's immense built-in computational and mathematical capabilities let even elementary students perform remarkable simulations, create elaborate computer art and experiment with sophisticated programs at a completely different level than could ever have been imagined with traditional educational programming languages.
Educational Language Features of Mathematica:
- Suitable for use at all K–12 levels
- Suitable for computing, mathematics, science, art and other classes
- Fully interactive language, with integrated graphics, animations, sounds, etc.
- Easy-to-read programs with commands based on ordinary English words
- Ability to start programming with a small number of functions
- Instant ability to create interactive interfaces »
- Seamless support for all forms of data, with no type declarations or other overhead
- Support for multiple programming styles
- Full support for all computer platforms, including ultramobile systems »
- Heavily discounted student and teacher pricing; free Wolfram CDF Player
- Long-term use by a wide range of teachers and schools
- Wolfram Demonstrations Project with thousands of programming examples
Key Advantages of Mathematica as an Educational Language:
- Ability to create complete interactive interfaces with a single line of code »
- Immediate support for professional-quality 3D graphics and animation
- Support for gamepad, joystick and other human interface devices »
- Full support for mathematics and mathematical concepts
- Built-in large, real-world geographical, scientific, etc. data collections »
- Integrated music and sampled-sound generation capabilities »
- Import and export of all standard graphics, sound and other data »
- Export of 3D geometry to 3D printers
- Built-in cellular automata, Turing machines, etc. for computational exploration »
- Clean, consistent language integrating all modern programming paradigms
- Unique symbolic language making any program component executable
- Seamless integration of built-in and teacher-created functions
- Immediate support for algorithm visualization and animation »
- Advanced semantics-aware code editor to minimize syntax learning
- Code integrated into documents that can contain explanations »
- Single environment handling programming, word processing, graphics, etc.
- Students can personalize their Mathematica environment with styles, etc. »
- Immediate export to web pages »
- Full online documentation, with 50,000+ examples
- Integration with Wolfram MathWorld site
- Used by millions of professionals as well as students
- Professionally supported product available worldwide
- Thousands of example programs available written by master programmers »
- Ability for students to publish work on The Wolfram Demonstrations Project
Educational Language Interoperability:
- Logo-like functionality immediately available
- Easy interoperability with Java, .NET, etc. »
- Robot control packages available
Interesting Tidbits:
- The Wolfram Demonstrations Project contains engaging programs even for preschoolers
- A single line of Mathematica code can implement Spirograph patterns
- Many original discoveries have been made by students with Mathematica
- Mathematica has been widely used by Intel Science Talent winners
- Stephen Wolfram's NKS is becoming popular in "pre-computer-science"
- Stephen Wolfram has contributed many programs to The Wolfram Demonstrations Project
See Also Analyses On:
Send a suggestion to the Mathematica analysis team