In Use
The most obvious thing you notice on starting either application
is that they don't multi-task. At first I was disappointed at this, but
there is so much information on screen that it could become very cumbersome
and crowded in the Desktop, without putting in a lot of effort to organize
windows. Some aspects would definitely benefit from multi-tasking: such as
being able to print the information directly via the RISC OS printer drivers
and selecting the parameters to display, but overall it works well as it is,
and the author admits that he isn't a WIMP programmer. That is really the
only criticism I can level at the programmes, and it's a rather half hearted
complaint at that!
Elements
The paper documentation is minimal, but the application comes
with a comprehensive Help file, and contains Ovation and text files
explaining some of the terms used. The screen for Elements displays the
conventional Periodic Table with control knobs, a text area, a display of
the selected property and a thermometer showing important temperatures for
the selected element.
Elements Main Display for Iron - Click Picture
for Full-Size Version (44 kb GIF)
Each display region changes to reflect the element in question when the cursor is moved, giving a comprehensive collection of information that can be expanded with a mouse click. The most useful piece of paper supplied lists the properties that can be displayed, including specific heat capacity, crystal cell sides, ionization potentials, density, atomic mass, and many others. Selecting these in the programme is a little tricky at first, consisting of clicking in one of the "control knob" areas to rotate a line pointer, but this has been improved considerably recently. The great feature is that there are two of these pointers enabling you to plot two properties against each other, and any screen can be saved as a sprite by pressing the * key on the numeric keypad.
Plot of Atomic Weight vs Solar Abundance
There are some suggestions of interesting plots to work through, which could form the basis of classroom discussion or individual worksheets for students investigating the behaviour of the elements.
Nuclides
Here the application splits into two parts: one is a comprehensive
tutorial on several aspects of nuclear properties,
Part of the Introduction to Nuclides
and the other is a Segre chart showing all the isotopes of the elements and their decay products. This is really detailed and an incredible piece of work that takes some getting into. You can display the whole chart, a magnified portion, decay products,
Magnified Region of Segre Chart
Decay Products
or half-lives, and save screens by pressing the * key on the numeric keypad as before. Extra information on using the software is in the Help file, and the tutorial covers different decay processes, fission, fusion, basic particles and much more.
Summary
This isn't any ordinary piece of software: it is outstanding in
its scope, detail and originality. If you or any of the family have any
interest in chemistry, or you're a teacher looking for software for school,
you should buy Elements straight away. I love playing with it,
looking at different relationships and seeing if I can account for them.
Nuclides is more specialized, and ideally suited to A Level or
University, but when you buy Elements you might as well get
Nuclides for the extra cost and learn about radioactive isotopes in
the process. The value for money is incredible, and the level of detail
breathtaking: the only thing I've seen that comes anywhere near them is a
US-produced Windows one that does less for three times the price (and can't
spell 'aluminium'). I described some of the features of these two
programmes to a PC owning friend, and he was extremely jealous.
The enthusiasm of the author is another plus point. Having started this for
his own benefit, it has now become a labour of love. New information and
features are continually being added, and upgrades will be available in
return for the original disc and £2:
Roger suggests every six months for this, which seems a very good idea. If
want further infomation, you can contact Roger by email to R.W.Darlington@acoustics.salford.ac.uk,
or at the address below.
At these prices, everyone should send their cheques to:
Atomic Software,Connectivity - Support - Education - Programming - Acorn Reviews - EPOC32 Reviews - Acorn Links - Psion S5 Links - Home
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pages on this site are all © John Woodthorpe, and are my personal
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