For an in-depth user guide, hot key list, tutorials and more, visit the developer's site at http://prime.jsc.nasa.gov/MathTrax/INFO/documents.htm

Introduction

     Welcome to MathTrax. The MathTrax Graphing Calculator is a tool that provides alternative access to mathematical data. In addition to drawing graphs of equations, MathTrax provides alternative, accessible descriptions of graphs using text and sound.

     To start MathTrax, find and select it on your computer's start menu. When it starts, we suggest you maximize its window. Also ensure that your computer's speakers are enabled and loud enough to be heard. If you have a set of headphones, please plug them in to your computer and experience MathTrax through them.

     >From the MathTrax windows menu select Help->User Guide. The simple page of information is your best introduction to using MathTrax. Please read it through and then resume reading this document.

     Welcome back. Now you know more than enough to explore MathTrax on your own. Enter an equation in the Equation Entry box. Try one with parameters such as "a" or "b", and notice the effect on the graphed curve and its description when you change those parameters in the Set Equation Parameters box. Be sure to try both a Cartesian and a polar equation. The sonifications of these are fundamentally different. Can you detect the difference? With a Cartesian equation displayed, move the x-travel slider back and forth and notice how it can be used to detect sonically the key positions, such as maxima and minima, of the curve.

     Also explore the Display Controls at the bottom right of the graph. These control the displayed range and domain so you can zoom in to see fine details or zoom out to see more of the curve.

     Now select the View menu from the menu bar and see that it provides menu selections for "Equation View" and "Data View." These choices reflect MathTrax's ability to analyze, describe and graph sets of tabular data in addition to closed-form equations. The data might capture the results of an experiment or observation, or be the tabular output of a simulator. MathTrax can read the tabular data from a file you specify (see File->Open->Data File) or retrieve the results of invoking another program, such as a simulator. (See File->New->Rocket Simulation.)

     To see this in action, select File->New->Rocket Simulation. This will raise a dialog box with eleven parameters that can be changed. These parameters are input to a rocket-simulation program that is used by NASA engineers at the Wallops facility. After setting the parameters to desired ones (or accepting the defaults), clicking the "OK" button runs the simulation and returns to MathTrax the results as a table of calculated values. The left side of MathTrax now changes to show and describe the calculated results. Six individual graphs are available, as shown in the Data box. Any of these can be displayed and sonified simultaneously in the graph window. A description of each one selected also appears in the Graph Description window.

     Many of the visual aspects of MathTrax can be set via the Settings menu. Some of these settings are included to help low-sighted and color-blind users of MathTrax.

     The available keyboard shortcuts are listed in Help->Keyboard Shortcuts. A glossary of mathematical terms used by MathTrax is also available in the Help menu.

     Thank you for exploring MathTrax.

	MathTrax is developed at NASA Johnson Space Center by principal investigator Dr. Robert Shelton and engineers Dan Dexter, Terry Hodgson and Stephanie Smith.