Physically Interacting With Four Dimensions

Thesis (Ph.D.) - Indiana University, Computer Sciences, 2009People have long been fascinated with understanding the fourth dimension. While making pictures of 4D objects by projecting them to 3D can help reveal basic geometric features, 3D graphics images by themselves are of limited value. For example, just as 2D shadows of 3D curves may have lines crossing one another in the shadow, 3D graphics projections of smooth 4D topological surfaces can be interrupted where one surface intersects another. The research presented here creates physically realistic models for simple interactions with objects and materials in a virtual 4D world. We provide methods for the construction, multimodal exploration, and interactive manipulation of a wide variety of 4D objects. One basic achievement of this research is to exploit the free motion of a computer-based haptic probe to support a continuous motion that follows the \emph{local continuity\/} of a 4D surface, allowing collision-free exploration in the 3D projection. In 3D, this interactive probe follows the full local continuity of the surface as though we were in fact \emph{physically touching\/} the actual static 4D object. Our next contribution is to support dynamic 4D objects that can move, deform, and collide with other objects as well as with themselves. By combining graphics, haptics, and collision-sensing physical modeling, we can thus enhance our 4D visualization experience. Since we cannot actually place interaction devices in 4D, we develop fluid methods for interacting with a 4D object in its 3D shadow image using adapted reduced-dimension 3D tools for manipulating objects embedded in 4D. By physically modeling the correct properties of 4D surfaces, their bending forces, and their collisions in the 3D interactive or haptic controller interface, we can support full-featured physical exploration of 4D mathematical objects in a manner that is otherwise far beyond the real-world experience accessible to human beings

Optimizing the Use of Matlab GUI Attributes in the Creation of Calculus Learning Media: An Effort to Measure Students' Innovative Attitudes

Calculus learning requires a high level of visualization in instilling concepts optimally to students. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to look at students' innovative attitudes in developing matlab GUI-based learning media in solving calculus problems and see the influence of the ability to use matlab GUI attributes on the level of innovation of the students in developing learning media. In the early stages, the students developed media according to the given topic. In the second stage, the product was assessed in terms of its validity. The students' innovative attitudes were assessed by a team of experts using questionnaires with 5-point Likert scale. From the 16 media successfully developed, validation results were obtained with an average score of 3.83 which means "valid". Meanwhile, from the assessment of innovative attitudes, the students’ attitudes are in the category of "innovative" with an average score of 3.61. In addition, the results of the regression tests revealed that the innovative attitudes are influenced by the ability to use the matlab GUI attributes by 84.2%. The rest is influenced by other factors with similarities: . Lastly, the results of the assessment showed that the media belonged to the category of "very effective" (score 81.2%).

Model Choice and Diagnostics for Linear Mixed-Effects Models Using Statistics on Street Corners

The complexity of linear mixed-effects (LME) models means that traditional diagnostics are rendered less effective. This is due to a breakdown of asymptotic results, boundary issues, and visible patterns in residual plots that are introduced by the model fitting process. Some of these issues are well known and adjustments have been proposed. Working with LME models typically requires that the analyst keeps track of all the special circumstances that may arise. In this paper we illustrate a simpler but generally applicable approach to diagnosing LME models. We explain how to use new visual inference methods for these purposes. The approach provides a unified framework for diagnosing LME fits and for model selection. We illustrate the use of this approach on several commonly available data sets. A large-scale Amazon Turk study was used to validate the methods. R code is provided for the analyses.Comment: 52 pages, 15 figures, 3 table

From approximating to interpolatory non-stationary subdivision schemes with the same generation properties

In this paper we describe a general, computationally feasible strategy to deduce a family of interpolatory non-stationary subdivision schemes from a symmetric non-stationary, non-interpolatory one satisfying quite mild assumptions. To achieve this result we extend our previous work [C.Conti, L.Gemignani, L.Romani, Linear Algebra Appl. 431 (2009), no. 10, 1971-1987] to full generality by removing additional assumptions on the input symbols. For the so obtained interpolatory schemes we prove that they are capable of reproducing the same exponential polynomial space as the one generated by the original approximating scheme. Moreover, we specialize the computational methods for the case of symbols obtained by shifted non-stationary affine combinations of exponential B-splines, that are at the basis of most non-stationary subdivision schemes. In this case we find that the associated family of interpolatory symbols can be determined to satisfy a suitable set of generalized interpolating conditions at the set of the zeros (with reversed signs) of the input symbol. Finally, we discuss some computational examples by showing that the proposed approach can yield novel smooth non-stationary interpolatory subdivision schemes possessing very interesting reproduction properties