A Calculating Web Site Could Ignite a New Campus ‘Math War’
The Chronicle of Higher Education had an interesting article about the WolframAlpha Web site. WolframAlpha has gotten some attention in library circles, understandable so, since according to the Web site, it “is the first step in an ambitious, long-term project to make all systematic knowledge immediately computable by anyone.” An ambitious goal, no doubt.
This article, “A Calculating Web Site Could Ignite a New Campus ‘Math War’” focused on how WolframAlpha will not only supply answers to complex mathematical problems, but will also list the steps out on how to do them. Mathematics professors are obviously taking notice. Is using WolframAlpha cheating? Is it a teaching tool? Is it both? I’m not sure, but it is a game changer. I know I would have liked to use it when I was getting my undergrad degree in college – not so much tofsolve a problem, but to double–check my assignment before handing it in.