Efofex News

We have updated our FX Equation product page to include a new, online version of FX Equation that you can use to experiment with FX Equation technology without needing to download anything. If you have never played with FX Equation, it is worth a few seconds of your time to have a look. Let the tool generate a random example which you can then edit.

What many people do not realise is that FX Equation 5 has the ability to produce LaTex output that can be pasted into any tool that supports LaTex equations (including Moodle). FX Equation can take a simple equation like…

3×3+2×2/3+1/x=3y

and turn it into the following LaTex command

3{x}^{3}+{frac{2{x}^{2}}{3}}+{frac{1}{{x}}}=3{y}

You can also use FX Equation to create equations that can be pasted directly into a Word document to become native Word (or MathType) equations. This lets you use the incredibly productive FX Equation environment for a much wider selection of uses.

Take a look at the new FX Equation product page today.

We presented a session focussing on FX Draw on the Mac and the MAWA conference on the weekend and it was the first time we have received considered feedback from teachers who have been USING FX Draw for the Mac.

Generally, the response was positive (actually it was more like “thankful” that we have finally got versions out for the Mac). A few small errors were pointed out and we have uploaded a new version today that addresses those issues.

What we have found is that there are a couple of wrinkles on the Mac that are not problems on Windows machines. We have had to institute a number of small workarounds that bypass these issues. Importantly, if you are using FX Draw on a Mac and find something that is misbehaving, PLEASE tell us. Often they are small things that can be fixed in a few minutes.

We have added the ability to create logic statements into FX Equation. FX Draw will include them in the next release.

All of the logic commands are preceded by _.

We have added another page to the equation options which allows you to select which symbol appears for each command. Select your desired symbols and don’t forget to push Set As Default.

FX Draw and FX Equation have both been upgraded to offer you the same Initial Preferences Selection interview we recently added to FX Graph. The interviews allow you to quickly set up FX Draw and FX Equation to produce graphics that look exactly the way you want them to.

The new versions are available for download now.

We have uploaded a new video which gives a quick overview of the features in FX Graph 5. It’s a great way to quickly show new users the power available in FX Graph.

The video is available from the FX Graph product page

FX Graph is extremely flexible and can produce graphs that suit all of the various “standards” that exist around the world. One problem we have had is that users have not always found the right preferences to get what they want. In response to this, FX Graph (5.005.10 and later) will give you a short interview that allows you to set up the most important preferences.

The first selection is probably the most important and potentially frustrating. There are definitely two schools of thought as to which one is “right”! FX Graph doesn’t care – it just needs to know which one you want.

The first version of the interview has eleven selections that take a minute or so to answer. The pay-off is that FX Graph will fit your needs that much better. The interview will run once, the first time you start FX Graph after installing the latest version. You can re-run it any time you like by choosing this option from the Tools menu.

We will be implementing similar interviews for our other products in the near future.

Upgraded Unit Circle Tool
We have given the unit circle tool a major overhaul with a number of new features that make the tool much more useful for demonstrations and graphic production.

1. The unit circle tool can now interpret and show angles greater than 360 degrees.

2. The arc now has the option of an arrow head as shown above.

3. The unit circle can also show negative angles.

4. You can set the unit circle to larger angles and negative angles by using the unit circle’s keyboard short cuts (up arrow = +1 degree, down arrow = -1 degree, page up = +10 degrees and page down = -10 degrees). You can also explicitly set angles for the unit circle on the unit circle’s property page.

5. There are a number of usability improvements, particularly when controlling the angle line with the mouse.

The changes have been included into the latest upload of FX Draw 5. If you hold a perpetual licence for FX Draw 5 or if you are currently hold an FX MathPack subscription, you can download the new version (5.005.9) immediately.

Many thanks to J Moor for his suggestions!