The Sci 3510 Computer Lab
The Sci 3510 Mathematics Computer Laboratory
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Created by
Barry McQuarrie,
Associate Professor of Mathematics (July 26, 2006).
Revised by
Byungik Kahng,
Assistant Professor of Mathematics (August 23, 2007).
The computer laboratory in
Sci 3510
is jointly supported by the
Mathematics Discipline,
the
Division of Science and Math, and the
UMM Tech Fee.
Any questions not answered by one of the resources below should be directed
to Byungik Kahng (kahng@morris.umn.edu),
who is the coordinator for the laboratory.
Resources & Information:
Storing Files
Sending E-mail from Sci3510
Printing from Sci3510
Mathematica (a computer algebra system)
Mac OS X (the operating system used in Sci3510)
LaTex in Sci3510
You shouldn't leave your work on
the desktop or elsewhere on the computer, since other people will be using the computer and
your files could be deleted, or modified.
You have a few options to store any work you have done on the computers in Sci3510. These
are described below. When you are done working at the computer, you should delete any temporary
files you created. This is done by dragging and dropping them into the trash. If your work is
personal and you want to ensure no one else sees it, you should empty the trash before you leave.
Storing Files on Your cda Account Using Fugu
Every UMM student has some storage space on the UMM unix server, cda.
Contact UMM Computing Service to learn more about
your cda account.
You can save your files in your cda space using the program Fugu. You can open Fugu by clicking the
icon that looks like a blow-fish. Then, you will be prompted to type in the server name and the
user name. This is what you have to do.
| Connect to: |
cda.morris.umn.edu |
| | |
| User Name: |
Your ID |
| Port: |
(Leave it blank) |
| Directory: |
(Leave it blank) |
After putting the server name and the user name, click Connect.
If the initial connection goes through, you will be prompted to type in your password.
After typing in your password, click Authenticate. This completes the connection between
cda and your iMac. You can upload or download your files by dragging their icons in and out of
the cda window (right hand side). You can manage the directory structure, too.
If you wish to create your own website on cda, create a new folder (directory), public_html.
After creating public_html directory, you can make it public as follows.
First, highlight your public_html directory, by single-clicking it with your mouse button.
Second, click (i) info in the top menu bar.
Third, select appropriate mode for owner, group and others.
Owner (you) should be able to read, write and execute. Usually, it is best to allow group and
others to read and execute only. If you allow others to write, anyone can post or modify anything
in your web-site. Once you made your public_html directory public, it can be accessed by any
web browser, with the web address, http://cda.morris.umn.edu/~YourID.
Finally, you are ready to upload files into your public_html folder. Make sure you make your
files public (readable to others) or private (not readable to others) appropriately.
Writing to CD
The only storage device built into the iMac is a cd-rw drive. You can use this if you have access
to cd-rw discs. The problem with cd-rw storage is that the disk is burned fresh each time a file
is added to it, thus destroying all the previous data on the disk. This makes the cd-rw the least
viable option if you plan on modifying a file and then saving a new version of the file, unless you
only store one file on the cd.
- The Eject key is on the top right of the keypad. It is labelled with a triangle on top of a rectangle.
It can be used to open and close the
cd drive.
- Once the cd has been inserted, click on the cd on the desktop to open the cd window. You may now drag and
drop files from the cd to the desktop and vice versa.
- When you have all the files on the cd and are ready to write the cd, choose Burn Disk
from the File drop down menu at the top of the screen.
Saving to a Keychain Storage Device
Probably the most portable storage solution is keychain storage, sometimes
called Flash storage, which is a portable USB storage device.
This device is plugged into the USB port
(on either a Mac or a PC, making it useful for compabitility between computers) and acts as easy drag and drop storage, much like a floppy drive would.
Here are the steps to using such a device on
the iMac. Note the warning about ejecting the drive before removing it from the computer.
- On the iMac, there is a USB connection on the back side of the keyboard. That is where you can
plug your keychain storage in (the keyboard is connected to the computer using another
USB port on the right).
- Once the keychain storage is plugged in, the computer will read it and a new folder will appear
on the desktop. Click on the folder to open it, and you can drag and drop to
the device as if it was a regular folder on the hard drive.
- To save Mathematica files, you may have to save first to the desktop and then drag the
file from the desktop to the device.
- When you are done, be sure to drag and drop the drive from the desktop to the trash, as this
will ``eject'' the drive. Although it won't physically eject the drive, it will disconnect it from the
computer and allow you to remove it safely. If you don't eject the drive, the computer will freeze up when
you remove the drive, so this step is extremely important!
- Be sure to drag and drop any files you saved to the desktop into the trash before you leave.
E-mailing to yourself
Another popular method is to e-mail the files to yourself.
You can use UMM WebMail
or any commercial e-mail tool to attach your files and then send them to yourself.
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Sending email from Sci3510
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To send email from Sci3510 you have to use UMM Webmail,
and not the email utility on the individual computer, as these have been disabled. Follow this link for
instructions on how to use webmail at UMM.
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Math Discipline's printer is in the closet in the corner of Sci3510.
Instructors have the key to the closet.
Math Discipline pays for the printing, so please print only course-related materials.
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The computer algebra system that the Mathematics Discipline uses at UMM is called Mathematica.
It is a powerful computing system that allows you to perform both numerical and symbolic
calculations. Follow this link to go to the official Mathematica website.
Mathematica is expensive, and we do not expect our students to purchase it. UMM has a
site licence for Mathematica, and it can be found on any computer on campus (pc or MacIntosh).
When you need to work with Mathematica outside of class, visit one of the many
computer labs on campus.
You can find out more about the computing labs at UMM, including hours of operation and
scheduling, by following this link.
Launching Mathematica
There should be an icon that on the dock (the dock is the bar with the icons
for different applications located on the desktop) that will launch Mathematica. Scroll
over the icons until you find the one that represents Mathematica (it usually looks like
some 3D star-sahped figure). Click on this icon to launch Mathematica.
If you have a Mathematica notebook file already, you can double click its icon to open the
file with Mathematica.
Launching Mathematica when its icon is missing
Sometimes the Mathematica icon has been deleted accidentally from the dock. In that case,
you can launch Mathematica by finding the application on the hard drive. Click on
Macintosh HD on the desktop, then Applications. Click on the file
Mathematica to launch Mathematica.
(Hopefully, this will no longer be an issue. The system administrator locked the dock items so that
no icon can be erased or added.)
Mathematica Resources
There are a great many Mathematica resources on the internet. Follow
this link to get Mathematica tutorials in Mathematica notebook format.
Reading Mathematica files on a computer that doesn't have Mathematica installed
You can view (but not execute) Mathematica files on a computer which doesn't have Mathematica
installed if you install the program Mathmatica Player on your computer. Mathmatica Player is available
here.
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Turning the computer on
The computers in Sci3510 have power on all the time, but go to
sleep after a few minutes of inactivity.
If a computer has been turned off, it can be turned on by reaching around the left side of the
computer and pushing the power button (the first button your hand will touch). The power button is
round, and flush with the body of the computer.
Quitting applications
Remember that programs on a Macintosh do not shut down when their active window is closed. You have to actively
quit programs by using the drop down menu to shut them down.
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What is LaTex?
LaTex is a sort of word processor that handles mathematical symbols.
There are a number of LaTex formats floating around the cyberspace.
Some of them are widely accepted, and some aren't.
The Latex format that UMM Mathematics Discipline supports is AMS LaTex.
AMS LaTex is the LaTex style developed and managed by the American Mathematical Society.
It is the most widely accepted LaTex format in the mathematical world.
Other disciplines may prefer different LaTex styles.
If you wish to study a LaTex style, say Physics Discipline prefers,
contact Physics Discipline for LaTex support. The same goes for chemistry, statistics, and so on.
TexShop
LaTex files have extension name tex.
*.tex file is a text file, so you can use any text editor to open, edit and save *.tex files.
However, it is not as easy to compile the *.tex file.
One way to do all those is to use the program, TexShop.
Its icon looks like a combination of a Greek letter pi, a closed contour integral symbol,
upside-down triangle and a label, LaTex.
You can open, edit and save *.tex files with TexShop.
If you already have a *.tex file, simply double-clicking the icon of the *.tex file
will open it with TexShop. If you are done with the editing, click Typeset on the
top menu bar of TexShop, and your computer will produce a *.pdf file.
(If your source codes are all correct, that is.)
LaTex Samples
One of the best way to learn LaTex is to study well written sample codes.
They are available in Public folder. Open a new finder window and go to Public.
You will see two folders. In fact, one folder (Drop Box) and an alias (LaTex Samples).
Double click LaTex Samples. You will now see a number of folders in it.
Drag any number of them out to the desktop. Your computer will automatically copy the
folders on your desktop, leaving the original as they were.
Begin working on the LaTex samples on the desktop. You need not worry about modifying
the files in the desktop, because the original files stay where they were unchanged.
LaTex Help
Any math faculty can help you with LaTex. If you have a question specific to LaTex Samples
in Sci3510 computers, please contact Byungik Kahng.
Last updated: Sun Aug 26 15:41:22 CDT 2007
Page designed and maintained by
Byungik Kahng
The views and opinions expressed on this page are strictly those
of the page author. The contents of this page have not been reviewed
or approved by the University of Minnesota.