realandcomplexsoftware.com is an educational software startup developing apps, content, visualization and games on mobile and HTML5 (web). The focus is primarily on apps and content at high school and college level, starting with mathematics and the sciences. Graphic visualization and games are used to enhance the learning experience as appropriate.
We aim to develop a series of apps that cross the borders between an app and a book. In particular, we like being able to run algorithms in an app, but would also like to use standard mathematical notation and systematic exposition as in a book. The first apps developed are in the area of high school or college mathematics, since these best showcase our notational tools and algorithmic capabilities. Apps that make appropriate use of graphic visualization as well as game engines are also planned. Of course, all these tools can be used for any subject and at all school and college levels.
Below, we briefly illustrate some of the tools that we will be using in our apps.
We would like to use the power of mathematical notation in our work. For this we use the LaTeX standard followed by scientists worldwide (now also available on the Web via MathJax). Here is an illustrative sample of equations in LaTeX (using MathJax).
It is often easier to explain concepts by drawing a picture along with the detailed explanation. Fortunately we now have many tools and libraries that allow us to do this with relatively little effort (for example the sample diagram of a triangle created using the Processing library). Of course, in order to truly explain the concepts, we must build models of whatever we are describing. This involves suitably specifying the rules for what is happening so that they reflect the underlying concepts correctly.