IDEA: Internet Differential Equations Activities
Author(s): Elly Clause-McGahan
The College Mathematics Journal, Vol. 29, No. 5 (Nov., 1998), pp. 427-433.
Published by: Mathematical Association of America,
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2687263
Tags: Software for differential equations and dynamical systems
Abstract: This paper provides a clear explanation of what Internet Differential Equation Activities (IDEA) consist of, and where the concept originated from. IDEA is software that enhances the students’ capability of understanding various aspect of differential equation projects. The author goes further into detail explaining different type of IDEA software and modeling pehenomena such as El Nino and bungee jumping. They first explain what each software does to help the students implementing projects/models along with a certain topic in differential equations. When using a certain models Basic Ecological Models, the student would be able to understand the ideas of population modeling and exponential growth modeling. The paper later demonstrates the advantages and disadvantages of what this model and other models have in order to solve for the solution of a differential equation. Lastly, the author discusses a significant software that helps the students solve differential equations in a more fast and sufficient manner. This is software called DynaSys, in which can help users analyze systems of ordinary differential equations. They briefly explain the function of the software and how it solves various differential equations. Based on the review from the author about the software there were some bugs that cause problem with solving certain differential equations, but stated that this software was the best mathematical solver during that time. Since then many software has been developed to solve this problem one is Sage. Sage is more enhanced and more modern to where students can solve differential equations in a basic form, 3D base and many more techniques. Jammie N. Johnson, Stephen F. Austin State University, May 2, 2017.