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Re: Simulations



Date: Tue, 13 Jan 1998 12:36:14 -0500
From: John Gastineau <gastineau@mindspring.com>
Subject: Re: Simulations

..... It's true that writing simulations is the best way to profit from
their use, but I worry that we then leave out the vast majority of physics
students. Most students take only two semesters of physics, and have little
programming skill. Bringing them up to the skill level needed to program a
simulation would take away from time for other, possibly more important
work. There is much to be gained from interacting with simulations without
programming. .....

Leigh and John G agree that programming is a very effective way of learning
physics through simulations.

How nice would it be if we could assume that all students know how to
program in one language, for example, in True Basic. They would learn it
in the elementary school and use it in all subsequent courses. The backward
compatibility of the language would be protected by legal means and all
platforms would have it.

I learned how to use a pencil and I do not have to learn it again, unless
my right hand is amputated. One common-denomination language is needed in
this age of rapid innovations. In my opinion it is silly to impose C++ or
Java on all students. First languages, such as Fortran and Basic, seem to
be much more suitable for quick math and scince programming than object
oriented ones.
Ludwik Kowalski