jodieduc2004 2/21/2025 3:55:07 PM

Some people look at an equation and see a bunch of complicated numbers and symbols while others see beauty (I). Now, thanks to a new tool created at Carnegie Mellon University, anyone can now translate the abstractions of mathematics into beautiful and instructive illustrations (II). This exciting new tool is named Penrose after the mathematician Roger Penrose, who is famous for using diagrams and other drawings to communicate complicated mathematical ideas (III). Penrose enables users to create diagrams simply by typing mathematical expressions and letting the software do the drawing (IV).

Unlike a graphing calculator, these aren't restricted to basic functions, but can be complex relationships from any area of mathematics. "Some mathematicians have a talent for drawing beautiful diagrams by hand, but they vanish as soon as the chalkboard is erased," said Keenan Crane, an assistant professor of computer science and robotics. "We want to make this expressive power available to anyone."

Diagrams are often underused in mathematical communication, since producing high-quality illustrations is beyond the skill of many researchers and requires a great deal of time and effort. Penrose addresses these challenges by letting diagram-drawing experts turn their knowledge about creating diagrams into computer codes so that other users can access this capability using familiar mathematical language and a computer. "We started off by asking: 'How do people translate mathematical ideas into pictures in their head?"" said Katherine Ye, a Ph.D. student in the Computer Science Department who is involved in the development of Penrose. "The secret sauce of our system is to empower people to easily 'explain' this translation process to the computer, so the computer can do all the hard work of actually making the picture."

Once the computer learns how the user wants to see a mathematical object visualized - a vector represented by a little arrow, for instance, or a point represented as a dot - it uses these rules to draw several candidate diagrams. Users can then select and edit the diagrams they want from a gallery of possibilities. A special, simple-to-learn programming language was also developed so that they can easily convey the ideas in their minds to the Penrose system, Crane said. "Mathematicians can get very picky about notations," he explained. "We let them define whatever notation they want, so they can express themselves naturally."

The researchers will present Penrose at the SIGGRAPH 2020 Conference on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques, which will be held this July. "Our vision is to be able to dust off an old math textbook from the library, drop it into the computer and get a beautifully illustrated book - that way more people understand," Crane said, noting that Penrose is a first step toward this goal.

(Adapted from sciencedaily.com)

Question 1. Where in paragraph 1 does the following sentence best fit?

"For many, the elegance of mathematical concepts often goes unnoticed amidst the complexity".

        A. (III)        B. (II)        C. (IV)        D. (I)

Question 2. The word "restricted" in paragraph 2 is OPPOSITE in meaning to______

        A. expanded        B. enclosed        C. contained        D. confined

Question 3. The phrase "secret sauce" in paragraph 3 could be best replaced by_______

        A. special element        B. unnatural ability        C. unexpected benefit        D. mysterious feature

Question 4.

According to the passage, which of the following is NOT mentioned as a feature or benefit of the Penrose tool?

A. It allows users to create diagrams from mathematical expressions.

B. It can produce high-quality illustrations without requiring advanced drawing skills.

C. It enables users to communicate mathematical ideas using a programming language.

D. It can automatically generate solutions to complex mathematical problems.

Question 5.

The word "they" in paragraph 4 refers to________.

        A. possibilities        B. users        C. diagrams        D. ideas

Question 6.

Which of the following best summarizes paragraph 3?

A. Penrose enables users to translate mathematical ideas into diagrams using expert knowledge and computer codes.

B. Katherine Ye discusses the challenges mathematicians face when trying to visualize complex ideas.

C. Penrose allows users to create high-quality diagrams quickly without needing artistic skills.

D. Diagrams in mathematics are often underused due to the time required to create them.

Question 7.

Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the passage?

A. Penrose's developers want to make math easier to understand by using illustrations.

B. Mathematical diagrams that are drawn by hand on chalkboards are not long-lasting.

C. Diagrams are usually not widely used to illustrate or communicate mathematical ideas.

D. Penrose uses common mathematical rules to draw diagrams for a mathematical object.

Question 8. Which of the following best paraphrases the underlined sentence in paragraph 4?

A. Users can choose and modify the diagrams they prefer from a collection of options.

B. Users can view and customize the diagrams they wish to use from an assortment of images.

C. Users can browse and alter the diagrams they like from a variety of choices.

D. Users can create and adjust the diagrams they desire from a selection of examples.

Question 9. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?

A. In general, mathematicians are not very good at remembering and defining notations.

B. How a mathematical object should be visualized varies from person to person.

C. Almost all people consider traditional math textbooks to be extremely boring.

D. Hand-drawn diagrams are not as beautiful and easy to understand as digital diagrams.

Question 10. Which of the following best summaries the passage?

A. The researchers at Carnegie Mellon University are focusing on the history of mathematical diagrams and their importance in education.

B. Penrose is a new tool that allows users to create complex mathematical diagrams easily, enhancing mathematical communication and understanding.

C. The development of Penrose by Carnegie Mellon University aims to replace traditional graphing calculators with a tool that can only produce basic mathematical functions.

D. Penrose enables mathematicians to draw by hand and provides them with a programming language to express their ideas naturally.

 

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