Waves: A Mobile App for Exploring Partial Differential Equations
Presentation Type
Poster
Keywords
mobile application partial differential equations Fourier series
Department
Mathematics
Major
Computer Science
Abstract
Waves is an app for iPhone and iPad with three activities currently in development at Pepperdine University due for release in Spring 2019. The Fourier activity plots Fourier series by designating either the coefficients or the function to be approximated. The activity contains a sliders to increase the number of terms and adjust the coefficients. The Diffusion activity focuses on the behavior of solutions to the one-dimensional heat equation. Users can specify the boundary and initial conditions to animate the solutions over time. Initial conditions can be specified using an equation or by drawing a function directly on the screen. The Strings activity plots and animates solutions to the one-dimensional wave equation. All three activities come preloaded with interesting examples and allow users to export their work. The app was designed with simplicity as a focus to take full advantage of the touch interactions available on mobile devices. Traditional mathematical software often has a steep learning curve that requires users to understand a complicated syntax, but Waves allows users to engage the world of partial differential equations in an intuitive way.
Faculty Mentor
Dr. Timothy Lucas
Funding Source or Research Program
Academic Year Undergraduate Research Initiative, Summer Undergraduate Research Program, Undergraduate Research Fellowship
Location
Waves Cafeteria
Start Date
29-3-2019 2:00 PM
End Date
29-3-2019 3:00 PM
Waves: A Mobile App for Exploring Partial Differential Equations
Waves Cafeteria
Waves is an app for iPhone and iPad with three activities currently in development at Pepperdine University due for release in Spring 2019. The Fourier activity plots Fourier series by designating either the coefficients or the function to be approximated. The activity contains a sliders to increase the number of terms and adjust the coefficients. The Diffusion activity focuses on the behavior of solutions to the one-dimensional heat equation. Users can specify the boundary and initial conditions to animate the solutions over time. Initial conditions can be specified using an equation or by drawing a function directly on the screen. The Strings activity plots and animates solutions to the one-dimensional wave equation. All three activities come preloaded with interesting examples and allow users to export their work. The app was designed with simplicity as a focus to take full advantage of the touch interactions available on mobile devices. Traditional mathematical software often has a steep learning curve that requires users to understand a complicated syntax, but Waves allows users to engage the world of partial differential equations in an intuitive way.