|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
All versions of DERIVE starting with version 1.0 are "Year 2000 compliant". The product currently being shipped is DERIVE for Windows (DfW) 5.0x.
DfW does not record, store or manipulate dates. It relies on the underlying operating and file systems (Windows 3.1, Windows for Workgroups, Windows NT 3.51 and greater, or Windows 95, 98) to accurately timestamp files created with DfW. DfW uses Microsoft's Visual C++ 4.1 run-time library to optionally display and print file dates using the date format specified by the user in the Windows Control Panel.
In summary, DERIVE is dependent on Microsoft products which are designed to support dates well into the 21st Century.
The following FAQs relate to DERIVE v4 and are to be updated for DERIVE 5.
Q: How do I highlight a subexpression of an expression or the elements of a vector or matrix?
A: To highlight a subexpression of an expression or an element of a vector or matrix, move the mouse pointer to the desired subexpression or element, and then click the left mouse button until only the subexpression or element is highlighted. Alternatively, you can press Shift+Right, Shift+Left, Shift+Up or Shift+Down arrow key combinations to highlight the desired subexpression. For a more detailed discussion, see Highlighting Expressions and Subexpressions
A. Place the cursor at the desired location in the expression entry dialog's editing line. Then press F3 to copy the highlighted expression or press F4 to copy the highlighted expression with parentheses around it into the editing line. Additionally, if you have previously used the Edit Copy Expressions command or pressed Ctrl+C to copy an expression in the Algebra window, you can paste it into the editing line by pressing Ctrl+V. Alternatively, you can click the right mouse button to select any of these options from an editing popup menu.
A. First, highlight the expressions to be copied. Then issue the Edit Copy Expressions command or press Ctrl+C to copy the expressions to the clipboard in text format. Switch to your word processor and use the Paste command (usually found in the Edit menu) to paste the expressions from the clipboard into your document. (Note that in Microsoft Word the "Use Smart Cut and Paste" option in the Tools Options Edit dialog should be turned off before you paste the DfW expressions. If this option is on, multi-line expressions will be improperly displayed.) After pasting, select the expressions and reformat them using the DfW Printer font if it is not the default font.
A. The only font that will display all kinds of DfW expressions properly in a word processing document is the DfW Printer font. The reasons are twofold: 1) the DfW Printer font correctly maps all the Greek and mathematical characters displayed in a DfW Algebra window; and 2) the DfW Printer font is a fixed-width font.
A. From a 2D or 3D plot window, issue the Edit Copy Window command or press Ctrl+C to copy an image of the plot window to the clipboard in bitmap format. Then, switch to your Windows application and use the Paste command (usually found in the Edit menu) to paste the image into your document. Note that the application you paste the image into must support the bitmap format.
A. This will happen if you have installed the Microsoft Plus extension to Windows and turned on "Show window contents while dragging" in the Display Properties Plus! Visual settings section. Turn off this option if the window redrawing is disruptive.
A. The font used on the screen to display DfW expressions is a bitmap font and therefore is not scaleable. You can, however, control the font size used for printing in the Fonts dialog box of the Options Printing command. To increase the size of all characters displayed on the screen, you can change the screen resolution from Super VGA to VGA (640x480), if it is not already.
A. Unfortunately, there is no current means to view an expression in the algebra window that is longer than 4000 characters wide. The expression will be truncated with a ">>" at the end. The visibility of the expression has no effect on any computations with that expression. To view the expression in it's entirety you may save it to a mth file and then open the file with a word processor. This is a limitation of DERIVE for Windows 4.0x - look for a solution in a future version.
Q: Why does LN(e) not simplify to 1?
A: In DERIVE, e is a simple variable, not the base of the natural logarithms (2.71828...). The base of the natural logarithms is displayed as ê, and it is entered by selecting it off the Greek and mathematical character toolbar, by pressing Ctrl+E, or by typing #e.
Q: Why does i^2 not simplify to -1?
A: In DERIVE, i is a simple variable, not the imaginary unit, (-1). The imaginary unit is displayed as î, and it is entered by selecting it off the Greek and mathematical character toolbar, by pressing Ctrl+I, or by typing #i.
Q: Why does LN(x^2-x)-LN(x) not simplify to LN(x-1)?
A: This transformation is invalid if x is negative. However, if you use the Declare Variable Domain command to declare x nonnegative, DERIVE will simplify the expression. In general, DERIVE will not use a transformation unless it can determine that the transformation is valid.
Q: How do I turn the name of a function I defined back into a variable name?
A: Use the Declare Variable Domain command to declare the name a real-valued variable.
Q: When I use square brackets when entering expressions like
3 x [x+y], why does the result not behave correctly?
A: In DERIVE, square brackets are used exclusively for Entering Vectors and Matrices. Thus the above expression is interpreted as 3 times the one element vector [x+y]. Parentheses rather than brackets should be used to control the order in which operators are applied (see Entering Mathematical Expressions).
Q: When I integrate the derivative of x/(x+1), why do I get -1/(x+1) instead of the original expression?
A: Antiderivatives are not unique and may differ by a constant. In this case x/(x+1) and -1/(x+1) differ by the constant 1, and both are valid antiderivatives.
Q: What is the effect of the := = assignment?
A: The effect of the := = assignment is identical to the := assignment, provided that the := = assignment is entered without being simplified.
However, if the := = assignment is simplified, the expression on the right side of the assignment is simplified BEFORE being assigned to the variable. If the := assignment is simplified, the unsimplified expression on the right side of the assignment to the variable and then the expression is simplified and returned. For example, simplifying
x:= =RANDOM(10)
assigns x some random nonnegative integer less than 10 and returns the number. Thereafter if the vaiable x is simplified, the same integer is returned. However, simplifying
x:=RANDOM(10)
assigns x the expression RANDOM(10) and returns a random nonnegative less than 10. Thereafter if x is simplified, random integers are returned.
Q: Why does x^(1/3) not plot for negative x?
A: The principal cube root of a negative number is complex and cannot be plotted directly. Use the Branch field of the algebra window's Declare Algebra State Simplification command to make DERIVE select the real branch instead of the principal branch while plotting.
Q: When I try to plot a vector of two expressions, why does DERIVE not plot them correctly?
A: DERIVE plots a vector of two univariate expressions parametrically (see Parametric Plots). However, you can add ? as a dummy third element to the vector so DERIVE produces the multiple plot you desire.
Q: How can I make a 3D plot of two intersecting surfaces?
A: You can't. However, plotting the minimum of the two surfaces allows you to see their curve of intersection. For example, try plotting MIN(x^2+y^2, 15).
Q: How do I reset all the plot window parameters to their default values?
A: Use the plot window's File Close command to close the current plot window and then use the algebra window's Window New 2D-plot Window command or Window New 3D-plot Window command to open a new plot window.
A. Using the plot window's Options Printing command turn off the "Black and white only" option, and in the File Print command select a color printer.
A. There is a conflict between HP's original driver for the DeskJet 540 printer and Microsoft's Win32s 32-bit extension to Windows 3.1x. If you are a Windows 3.1 user and have experienced problems printing from DfW to your HP Deskjet 540 printer, we recommend installing HP's latest driver for the printer.
HP freely distributes the driver setup program on their website at http://www.hp.com/. Navigate down through Services and Support, Peripherals, Printers, HP Deskjet Printers, HP Deskjet 500 Series, HP Deskjet 540 Printer, Software and Drivers. The file you need to download is dj100en.exe. If you still have problems, call HP Tech Support at (208) 323-2551.
A. Obtain and install the latest drivers from your printer manufacturer. If the problem persists, use a printer driver installed with Windows.
A. DfW is a 32-bit program. It will run on native 32-bit operating systems such as Windows 95, 98, ME, 2000, NT 3.51 and above. The previous version, Derive version 4, will run on 16-bit operating system environments such as Windows 3.1x with the assistance of Win32s version 1.30c (also known as version 1.30.172.0). Microsoft Win32s is an operating system extension that allows 32-bit applications to run on Microsoft Windows version 3.1x. Win32s version 1.30c is freely distributed with DfW for Windows 3.1x users at no charge.
DERIVE for Windows will not run on the native Macintosh operating system. However, it will run on Macintosh computers in the following environments:
There may be additional Macintosh environments that will support DERIVE for Windows, but these are the ones that have been verified.
A. No. DfW requires Win32s version 1.30c (also known as 1.30.172.0) to run in the Windows 3.1x environment. Microsoft Win32s is an operating system extension that allows 32-bit applications like DfW to run on Microsoft Windows version 3.1x.
The latest version of Win32s supported by OS/2 Warp is 1.25. There are some bugs in Win32s 1.25 that prevent DfW from running properly. In July of 1996, IBM's tech support hotline (1-800-342-6672) said that Win32s 1.25 was supported, but not fully tested and that only a few Win32s applications would run under OS/2. They had no future plans to upgrade their support of Win32s at that time.
A. Physical RAM. The non-localization of DfW data structures prevents DfW from running at acceptable speeds from virtual memory. Of course, having virtual memory in addition to the 8 megabytes of physical memory allows other Windows programs to be swapped out while DfW is running in RAM. It is important to note DfW only requires about 2 or 3 megabytes of RAM for its own use; the additional RAM is necessary just to run Microsoft Windows.
A. Currently Soft Warehouse, Inc. has no plans to implement DERIVE on platforms other than DOS and Windows based computers. Such project whould require considerable time and effort. Instead we will continue to devote 100% of our resources to making improvements and extensions to DERIVE for Windows.
A. Run the Freecell program and it's associated online help. If Freecell runs successfully then Win32s is installed correctly. More information on installing Win32s is available in the Chapter 1 of the Introduction to DERIVE for Windows book. Additionally Microsoft's web site http://www.microsoft.com makes available several Knowledge Base articles concerning Win32s, including: How to Troubleshoot Win32s Installation Problems, Article ID: Q106715; and Win32s Information in the Knowledge Base, Article ID: Q138562.
A. This error message may be caused by one of the following:
1) The Win32s help engine is not installed properly. Verify that it is by issuing the Help Contents command in the Freecell program that was installed as part of the Win32s installation. If the help in Freecell does not work, then reinstall Win32s, else go to 2).
2) There is not enough memory available to run the help engine. Increase the size of the swap file used in Windows and try again. (Note, use the Control Panel's 386 Enhanced Virtual Memory settings to change the swap file size.)
A. DERIVE probably isn't getting enough RAM to operate properly. Try one or more of the following suggestions to give more RAM to DERIVE.
1. If you're using Windows 3.11 change the cache size from 2048 kb (the default size when using 32 bit file and disk access) to 512 kb. (Note, use the Control Panel's 386 Enhanced Virtual Memory settings to change the cache size.)
2. Turn off SmartDrive.
3. Increase the size of the swap file. (Note, use the Control Panel's 386 Enhanced Virtual Memory settings to change the swap file size.)
4. Run Freecell. Is it noticeably slow also? If so, then perhaps Win32s needs to be reinstalled.
5. Use REM to strip down the autoexec.bat and config.sys to the minimum absolutely necessary to run Windows. (This will eliminate any other programs that are loaded into memory).
A. The DfW screen and printer fonts need to be installed on each network workstation. Using the fonts program included with Windows, install the three DfW fonts: DfW, DfW Printer (TrueType), and DfW Printer Bold (TrueType). These fonts are represented by the DFW.FON, DFW.TTF, and DFWBOLD.TTF files respectively and were copied into the windows installation directory of the workstation used to install DfW. For further instructions.
Return to DERIVE for Windows Home Page
Return to Chartwell-Yorke Home Page
Revised 03/09/98 1:03 PM
DERIVE is a registered trademark of Soft Warehouse, Inc.
All contents copyright (c) 1995-98
SOFT WAREHOUSE, INC.
This document has been printed from Chartwell-Yorke Website at http://www.chartwellyorke.com
