Bruce Torrence, PhD, chair of the Department of Mathematics at Randolph-Macon College, says he’s engaging his students in mathematics more than ever before thanks to a single Mathematica command. That command is Manipulate.

Professor Torrence calls the ability to create instant dynamic interfaces a “real game changer” for helping students understand mathematics. He says, “Once you play with a Manipulate and interact with the sliders and buttons, you really develop your intuition as to how the underlying mechanisms are interacting and working.”

In this video, Professor Torrence shares an example of how he used Mathematica to turn a previously tedious lesson into a highly compelling, interactive classroom activity.

You can find more on Professor Torrence’s work, and stories from other faculty who are teaching with Mathematica, in our Portraits of Success.

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