2025 software page feedback

[chris-konrad]

Section Running The Software via Brightspace-Vocareum: Add a subsection Vocareum: Using Jupyter Notebook that explains that Vocareum is just an online Jupyter Notebook and links a resource on how to use Jupyter notebook. We expect students that never worked with Python or Jupyter before. If that were the case for me, I think I would have needed this subsection as a gentle intro into what "Vocareum" and "Jupyter" are. I see that this info is below. But if you read from the beginning, this page will result in a whole lot of question marks before you find the answer at the end. At the minimum just link the later sections.

Line 48: Add a comma after between "graded" and "not". I had to read a few times before I got the sentence.

For example, if you solve the homework days before the due date and press
"Submit" and then modify the notebook after that, your modifications will be
graded not the state at the earlier "Submit" button press.

Line 52: Remove 'may'

Your grade may should show up in Brightspace, but it sometimes lags in
propagating.

Line 82: We could remove the Python 3.10 kernel entirely from the selectable Kernels in Jupyter Notebook. Then this disclaimer should be replaced with a general warning that the right kernel "Python 3.11 (Multibody-Dynamics 2025)" has to be selected. In general I find it more confusing then helpful to talk about the wrong Kernel here before the right kernel is ever mentioned. Let's first talk about the right kernel, then about the general environment requirements. See https://github.com/moorepants/me41055-homework/issues/136#issuecomment-2633876056

Vocareum only has SymPy 1.9+ available on the Python 3.10 kernel. You may need to change your kernel by selecting "Kernel" in the toolbar menu, then "Change kernel", and then select "python 3.10".

Line 117: Shouldn't we rather link the exact environment definition of the vocareum environment here? See: https://github.com/moorepants/me41055-homework/issues/136#issuecomment-2633857478

conda install sympy numpy scipy matplotlib jupyter pythreejs "scikits.odes"

[moorepants]

Line 52: Remove 'may'

Your grade may should show up in Brightspace, but it sometimes lags in
propagating.

I'm sorry but I take major offense at this suggestion. In the local dialect of my southeast USA peoples, "may should", "might should", "might would", and "might could" are pillars of our language. 😜

[moorepants]

Line 117: Shouldn't we rather link the exact environment definition of the vocareum environment here? See: moorepants/me41055-homework#136 (comment)

conda install sympy numpy scipy matplotlib jupyter pythreejs "scikits.odes"

Yes, but that also steps into slightly more advanced uses of conda. This is the simplest command that should work in 99% of cases.

[moorepants]

I've fixed all these, thanks. But I will leave the personal computer install commands the same.