Windows calculator will get a graphical mode

Not so long ago on Habré was published the news about the disclosure of the code Calculator Windows , one of the most famous programs in the world. The source code of this software is posted on GitHub .

At the same time, it was said that the developers of the program invite everyone to contribute their wishes and ideas regarding the functionality of the program. From the large number currently selected one. The author suggests to add her a graphic mode to the calculator .

Actually, everything is clear here - the graphics mode will give the opportunity to visualize equations and functions, about the same as Plotting Mode in Matlab. The feature was proposed by Microsoft engineer Dave Grochocki. According to him, the graphics mode will not be too advanced. It will allow students to build graphs on algebraic equations.
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“Algebra is the way to high areas of mathematics and related disciplines. Nevertheless, this is one of the most difficult subjects for students; very many people receive poor grades in algebra, ”says Grocoski. The developer believes that if you add a graphical mode to the calculator, it will be easier for students and teachers to understand each other in class.

“Graphic calculators can be quite expensive, software solutions require licensing, online services are not always the best solution,” continues the idea of ​​Grokoski.

According to Microsoft, the graphical mode is one of the most frequently requested features in the Feedback Hub application, where users of corporation software dump their offers.

The goals that the developers set themselves:

• Providing basic visualization in the Windows Calculator;
• Support for basic math curriculum in the USA (unfortunately, while Calculator functionality will be planned based on the needs of students in this country), including the ability to build and interpret functions, understand linear, quadratic and exponential models, study trigonometric functions with a calculator and of equations.
  
  What else will the user get?
  
  • Ability to enter the equation to build the corresponding graph.
  • Ability to add several equations and visualize them to compare graphs with each other.
  • The mode of editing equations so that you can see what changes when you make certain modifications to the original equation.
  • Changing the mode of viewing graphs - different sections can be viewed in varying degrees of detail (i.e. we are talking about scaling).
  • Ability to explore various types of graphs.
  • Ability to export the result - now you can share feature visualizations in Office / Teams.
  • Users can easily manipulate the secondary variables in the equations, which will make it possible to understand how changes in the equations affect the graph.
  
  As far as can be judged, the graphs can be built for not very complex functions.
  
  Now the developers of the Calculator are trying to show that the program is improving over time. She was born as an elementary assistant for performing arithmetic operations. Now it is a reliable scientific calculator that can be used by a wide range of users to solve very serious problems. In the future, the software will continue to improve.
  
  As for the opening of the source code, this is done so that anyone can get acquainted with such Microsoft technologies as Fluent, Universal Windows Platform, Azure Pipelines and others. Thanks to this project, developers can learn more about how work is being done to create certain projects at Microsoft. With a detailed analysis of the source code of the Windows Calculator can be found here, right on Habré .
  
  The program is written in C ++ and contains more than 35,000 lines of code. To compile a project, users need Windows 10 1803 (or newer) and the latest version of Visual Studio. All requirements can be found on GitHub.