[ thread moved to edu-sig ] > On Tue, Jan 12, 2010 at 4:37 AM, Maria Droujkova <droujk...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> Some of my kids are about to start using Python for our Physics and >> Modeling, up from Scratch. I am scared to death and still have not selected >> a version for them. All of them run Windows and Mac OS. >> >> Cheers, >> Maria Droujkova >> http://www.naturalmath.com >> >> Make math your own, to make your own math. >> > > Hi Maria -- > > I am wondering what Physics and Modeling is like. From a programming > point of view, I imagine a clock or time increment is usually > involved, which means a loop of some kind. As time ticks by, this or > that happens to objects. > > Here's a somewhat generic way of thinking about "objects in time": > > http://www.4dsolutions.net/ocn/alien.html (meant to be user-friendly > and conversational, against the backdrop of ongoing arguments on a > math teacher list -- I think you know the one). > > As to which version of Python, a lot depends on if students want to > use something extra besides bare Python. If not, then 3.1 and above. > > Your students seem rather young in this picture, if just moving from Scratch? > > It would be interesting to get some more details if you have the time > to spare. And fear not, you will find much that is fun and rewarding > in this next chapter. > > Kirby > > PS: I notice Carl Trachte is beginning to explore the new format > specifiers in his first two blog posts of 2010: > http://pyright.blogspot.com/ > > Note that in 2.6 one has the ability to go: from __future__ import > print_function > > Plus it runs everything 2.5 and below. That's why I suggest the > edu-sig web page make 2.6 something like the earliest Python you'd > want to use for educational purposes. That'd be generic advice > suitable for Python.org web site. Of course teachers on the front > lines will have their own reasons for doing what they do. > >> >> >>> >>> The scenario I've pushed (sometimes practice): >>> spatial geometry in a Python-endowed math class, is >>> still esoteric, avant-garde. Not sure anyone is doing >>> it. >>> >> > _______________________________________________ Edu-sig mailing list Edu-sig@python.org http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
