Welcome
If you're in one of John Carter's Math classes you are in the right place. Read this page then click on the link below and jump in.
Just visiting? Try the WikiSandbox and play a bit.
What is a wiki?
A wiki is a website that usually has the following two properties:
- Anybody can edit the pages of the wiki, and anybody can undo these edits
- It is easy to write new pages for the wiki, because it doesn't use HTML
(There are exception to both rules.)
References:
- WhatIsaWiki on Meatball Wiki
- HowWikiWorks on Community Wiki (check out the diagram!)
- "A wiki is the simplest online database that could possibly work." -- Ward [http://wiki.org/wiki.cgi?WhatIsWiki]
Why a Wiki?
With a wiki, creating and maintaing a website is trivial: You don't need to know HTML, nor FTP, nor anything else. This is what people normally use for their websites.
A wiki is great if you want to enable other people to help and contribute. The wiki just helps them to start contributing faster, since it is so easy to use. You can find the text formatting rules for this wiki here basic editing . For formatting mathematics, keep reading.
Wiki is also Groupware
A wiki is ideal for a small group of people: classes, friends, project teams, gaming groups. It allows the group members to communicate with each other when you do not or cannot meet each other face-to-face. A wiki also works for chat rooms. Often the logs are available from archives but it is difficult to find good information by searching log files.
Why this Wiki?
This wiki has the magical property of being able to read Latex math text. For this course you will only need to learn a limited number of commands for example fractions are done like this: \frac{x^2}{\sqrt{3x}} or this: {dy\over dx}
and limits are done like this: \lim_{x \rightarrow 0} x^3=0
We can do nifty integrals, like \int^{\infty}_{0}{x^2} . Heck, we can even do summations such as \sum _{i=0} ^{\infty+2} x^2 + 3i . Fun, eh?
But I digress. I will pass out a style sheet inclass so you know enough to ask(and answer) questions for this class.
Most of what you need to know to ask about calculus problems is in the table below. Math text is always bracketed between {$ and $}.
| {$ x^2 + x^{1/2} $} | x^2 + x^{1/2} | {$ \frac{a}{b} $} | \frac{a}{b} |
| {$ \lim_{x \rightarrow 0} $} | \lim_{x \rightarrow 0} | {$ \Delta x $} | \Delta x |
| {$ \infty $} | \infty | {${dy\over dx} $} | {dy\over dx} |
More pretty math symbols
| \Gamma | \Gamma | \Delta | \Delta |
| \Lambda | \Lambda | \Phi | \Phi |
| \Pi | \Pi | \Psi | \Psi |