Outlined below are some operational and troubleshooting hints.
Operational Hints
KEYBOARD CONTROL
Commonly used menu options can be invoked from the keyboard using the Command key and a letter specified to the right of the menu choice.
"Select All" (Command A) immediately followed by "Evaluate" (Command E) is particularly convenient to evaluate an entire Problem Slate.
Typing [Control . (period)] halts evaluation of a problem.
DOUBLE-CLICKING
If there are no blanks in a line, double-clicking at the end will select the whole line. This is especially useful when only one line of a problem is to be evaluated on a Slate filled with problem text.
Double-clicking on a Slate icon avoids the need to select Open from the File menu.
OPENING GROUPS OF SLATES FROM THE FINDER
Problem Slates, Data Slates, and Function Slates that operate together to define particular problems should be grouped together in a folder on the Finder's desktop. Thus, these Slates can be opened together from the DeskTop. See your manual titled "Macintosh" for details on how to accomplish this convenient operation. Clicking on a single PowerMath file will invokes PowerMath.
PROBLEM SOLVING: SPEED
When you are using PowerMath purely for problem solving and where you are only interested in a numeric answer, do not select "Show Work" from the Preferences menu.
Work with "Symbolic Constants" from the Preferences menu selected whenever possible. PowerMath is fasterwith it selected, and computations will be easier to follow.
When setting up a long problem, delay substituting numeric values as long as possible. PowerMath operates much faster on √(X;7) than it is does on √(245.67;7).
The most time consuming process in PowerMath is division and root manipulation. Formulate problems so the need for division is minimized.
PROBLEM SOLVING: ACCURACY
When finding roots or doing division on irrational numbers (eg. √3 or 2/3) approximations may lead to "roundoff" errors and result in iIlogical relationships (such as the right side of an equation being different from the left).
PowerMath attempts to evaluate anything you direct it to evaluate. It does the best it can to produce meaningful messages but some errors can be particularly subtle.
PARENTHESE AND SEMICOLONS
Be sure that use of parentheses is clear and useful. PowerMath detects when parentheses are "Out of Balance," but does not know if they are misplaced.
Failure to place semicolons in Function arguments, matrices or data lists can create Bizarre results.
DATA LISTS AND MATRICES
Do not confuse data lists (see the LIST Command) with matrices. The special case below (vectors) describes the only situation where a list is interchangeable with a matrix.
Matrices must have the number of columns explicitly noted as the first number, surrounded by parentheses. A Matrix with no such identifier will be treated as a vector (1 column or 1 row). A vector is identical to a data list and may be used interchangeably as either a data list or a matrix.
IMAGINARY ROOTS
Simultaneous nonlinear equations may be set up in a variety of ways. If a system cannot be solved, try rearranging unknowns. Avoid solving for higher order unknowns (cubics or higher) since imaginary roots are generated during evaluation. PowerMath is not able to factor such roots and huge answers may result.
