Frequently Asked Questions
How fast are calculations carried out? What determines the speed of calculations?
Since all calculations are performed directly on the reader's computer using his browser, the speed of calculations depends primarily on the capacity of that computer and its loading state at the time of calculation. The speed also depends on the browser being used by the reader. More modern browsers do calculations faster.
Can we say that the article in Mathete is a program?
Yes, many users find it convenient to consider the article in Mathete as a program and set of instructions. In such a case, mathematical paragraphs are code lines, while text paragraphs are comments. Of course, Mathete language is very primitive and presently, it has only the assignment operator, user interaction, and mathematical functions. In the near future, it will be expanded with control structures - loops, conditions, multiline “real” functions.
Can I write my own article?
Yes. Any registered user can write his own article. However, do not forget that the author bears responsibility for the content. If the content is contrary to the existing law or violates the rights of legitimate owners, the administration will remove the article.
Are all written articles accessible publicly?
No. The author chooses the level of public access. Currently, there are three of them: only for the author, by direct link, and publication. In the first case, only the author has access to the article. In the second case, only the person who received a link has an access to the article. In the third case, the article is accessible to the public, is indexed by search in the website and added to a common directory.
What structure does an article have?
Each article consists of paragraphs. Paragraphs are of four types: text, mathematical, graph and images.
- Text paragraph is a plain text, with possible formatting: italics, bold, numbered and bulleted lists, headers.
- Mathematical paragraph is a more complex structure. It consists of two parts - input data and calculation results.
- Graph - a two-dimensional graph. It consists of axes (x and y-coordinates), legends and curves themselves (dots). On one graph, one can simultaneously display up to three different dependencies. In this case, you can use different colours and types of graphs.
- Image - usual image with a size of up to 600 pixels. This may be a chart, drawing, or diagram.
How can I enter a Greek letter?
Just enter its name. If the first letter is capitalized, the Greek letter will also be capitalized. For example: alpha - α and Alpha - Α; delta - δ and Delta - Δ. Complete table of Greek letters
What is a Variable?
Variables in Mathete
With which browsers can I use Mathete?
Short answer - with all modern versions of popular browsers.
The functional is presently being tested on Mozilla FireFox version above 3.0., Google Chrome, Safari 4 and above, Opera 10 and above, Internet Explorer 7 and above (the higher the better).
In earlier versions, there can be distortions in the display of formulas, and errors in calculations.
What are the common mathematical restrictions?
the basic ones are:
- Maximum number: 1.7976931348623157e+308. Infinity comes next
- Maximum length of an array: 300.
What restricts the ability to enter variables for the readers?
Generally speaking, nothing. The reader himself plans what he wants to obtain from calculations.
During calculation, I got the result NaN instead of getting a number. What does this mean?
NaN stands for 'Not a Number'. Such a result may be received when Mathete tries to get a real number (with a floating point) but does not get it. Here are typical cases: square root of a negative number, letters entered in the field for variable, or other external signs. The result of any calculation with NaN is also NaN.
