The mathematics department at Grinnell College will develop a Mathematics and Computing Lab in which students use software packages that strengthen mathematical intuition and insight by representing mathematical ideas and objects (such as functions, matrices, differential equations, infinite series, computer programs, and algorithms) in a variety of forms that permit them to be manipulated and experimented with. The objective is to promote the kind of direct acquaintance with and understanding of these mathematical objects that professional applied mathematicians and computer scientists have traditionally acquired through long experience or unusual insight, and have more recently begun to develop more quickly through software tools. Specifically, the software will include packages for graphical display and manipulation of functions and algorithms, numerical approximation, and symbolic algebra. The computer system used will consist of a Sun 3/160S file server, a large disk and tape system, and eight Sun 3/50M workstations. The workstations in the lab will be connected to a departmental local area network, which will give faculty and students equal access to all resources and enable them to exchange information from the lab, faculty offices, and classrooms.
