[Sakino]

I will be new to mac in about 1-2 weeks, if apple decided to release a new 15 inch al pb. My question is, is their any good software out there for people who are in the science field. There are a lot of symbols when it comes to chem and other science areas. Can anyone point me in a good direction?

[Ganesha]

Originally posted by Sakino:
I will be new to mac in about 1-2 weeks, if apple decided to release a new 15 inch al pb. My question is, is their any good software out there for people who are in the science field. There are a lot of symbols when it comes to chem and other science areas. Can anyone point me in a good direction?

Buy a hard copy of the C.R.C Handbook of Chemistry and Physics. Yes, everything in it is reproduced in bits and pieces elsewhere, but its not always easy to find. The CRC is only useful when you know what you need (you just don't remember what it is). If you aren't that far along I suggest going to class and taking good notes.

[Sakino]

What exactly is the C.R.C Handbook of Chemistry and Physics?

Im a microbiology major, possibly with a pre med classification.
I'm looking for software for note taking. I take extensive notes, and prefer not to write it all out. Since I can type really really fast.

[Sakino]

Also the cd rom states its pc only. :/

[jessejlt]

To what end? I'm a computer science student and I've taken a lot of chemistry, physics, biology, mathematics...what field of study are you looking at?

As for symbolic representation, you want Latex. It's the easiest way to create formula for reports...that I've found anyways.

Personally, I didn't use any software for chemistry, physics, or biology, other than that which came with my trusty TI-89
For math, I use Maple. Maplesoft just released Maple 9 for the mac and it works wonderfully.

jesse ;-)

[Sakino]

Originally posted by jessejlt:
To what end? I'm a computer science student and I've taken a lot of chemistry, physics, biology, mathematics...what field of study are you looking at?

As for symbolic representation, you want Latex. It's the easiest way to create formula for reports...that I've found anyways.

Personally, I didn't use any software for chemistry, physics, or biology, other than that which came with my trusty TI-89
For math, I use Maple. Maplesoft just released Maple 9 for the mac and it works wonderfully.

jesse ;-)

Sorry I should have worded it better. I'm looking for a good note taking program, that will suit my needs with the symbols. I'm microbiology with a premed. Therefore its all chem, bio, phy classes for me.

I like to take really good notes, and i prefer taking them on a computer. That is the main reason I am getting a powerbook. I feel my note taking will take a lot less time, then if i were to hand write out everything.

[skipjack]

MATLAB runs on the Mac.

If you take notes on the computer, OmniOutliner (http://www.omnigroup.com/applications/omnioutliner/) is supposed to be the best. I, myself, have never been able to take class notes on the computer.

For symbolic notation, my favorite is Math+Magic (www.mathmagic.com). What makes it especially useful for me is the keyboard shortcuts. (For example, CMD-G makes the next key a Greek lettter, CMD-F gives me a fraction, CMD-I gives me an integral, SHF-CMD-H and L gives me superscript and subscript, and there is a pallette of symbols which can be user modified and can be accessed with a SHF-OPT key combination.)

I haven't taken the time to see what TEX and LaTEX are all about, but if you prefer that, there is something called Equation Editor, which provides a GUI version.

This is not to be confused with the Equation Editor in Word or Appleworks which I have not found to be as flexible as Math+Magic. (The Equation Editor + Word combination has an advantage in that you can modify the equation easily in the document , but I still like Math+Magic better.)

Math+Magic does not have an easily accessible Aangstrom symbol, but that is readily available in many fonts with OPT-A.

Many labs (for instance, Lawrence Berkeley Lab) use LabView (http://www.ni.com/labview/) to run experiments and equipment. The most recent version, 7, supports Mac OS X natively. I'm not familiar enough with the program to say if there is a DAC (data aquisition board) you can plug into your Mac (assuming it has PCI slots).

Last, if you must use AutoCAD, MathCAD, or PSPICE, you can try installing them in Virtual PC. Just try not to have any other programs running and you might find them fast enough for simple educational use.

[Chemmy]

Originally posted by Sakino:
Sorry I should have worded it better. I'm looking for a good note taking program, that will suit my needs with the symbols. I'm microbiology with a premed. Therefore its all chem, bio, phy classes for me.

I like to take really good notes, and i prefer taking them on a computer. That is the main reason I am getting a powerbook. I feel my note taking will take a lot less time, then if i were to hand write out everything.

Uh, if you need symbols and diagrams, use a notebook and a pen.

[Sakino]

Originally posted by Chemmy:
Uh, if you need symbols and diagrams, use a notebook and a pen.

Its rarely that i use it. mos tof my notes are words.

[Ozmodiar]

The problem with the CDs that come with text books is that IF they come with Mac software, it will only run if you have OS 9 installed. A lot of us said goodbye to Classic a while ago, and attempts to find OS X native software has come up fruitless. I've e-mailed a couple publishers, and I always get the automated "thank you for your interest in the software that came with your book" response.

[tr]

Originally posted by Ganesha:
Buy a hard copy of the C.R.C Handbook of Chemistry and Physics. Yes, everything in it is reproduced in bits and pieces elsewhere, but its not always easy to find. The CRC is only useful when you know what you need (you just don't remember what it is). If you aren't that far along I suggest going to class and taking good notes.

yeah, the CRC. that's like the freakin' bible for physicists (especially the one's like me who don't memorize anything)

yeah, honestly, i'd stick with pen and paper. maybe i'm behind the times or something, but i graduated 3 years ago, and i NEVER saw anyone in my classes take notes on a computer. then again, my notes rarely had any words at all on the page, they would all be equations and diagrams. and if my professor was talking about stuff, i don't even think i'd write stuff down, i'd just listen intently, and try to understand what he's saying, rather than try to write down as muc has i could.

i thought i read that someone on these boards would type notes, but also have pen and paper to right down diagrams/equations. then after class, the person would go back, and insert the diagrams/equations into his typed notes. the advantage of doing this is a) you don't have to spend time during class trying to type in commands for equations and/or drawing pics b) it forces you to go over your notes, which is something i should've done more of

tr

[JKT]

IIRC, the powerbook comes with OmniOutliner pre-installed. This should be a good note-taking app for you although the current version is lacking the ability to accept image input.

OmniGraffle is a diagramming app that also comes pre-installed. If you are willing to take some time, you can develop your own shapes stencils for it.

Take a look here to get an idea about the capabilities of these two apps.

As for applications suitable to your field, you'll probably find that most things you'll want to do can be achieved online for free. I'd wait until you get going in your course to see what you are recommended to get. It isn't worthwhile wasting your money on something that you don't actually need.

However, if you do any molecular biology at all, EnzymeX is quite handy for restriction digests (freeware - search at MacUpdate.com for it). The same developers produce something called LabAssistant but I haven't used it...