Frequently Asked Questions
Plots Function Only
MathGV can not plot raw data points. It can plot mathematical
functions only.
Running Graph Windows
All graphs are drawn by off screen threads. This prevents the program from
"hanging" while plotting complex graphs. When a graph is being redrawn the
window title will end with “- (Running)”. This happens automatically and
requires no extra efforts from you. However, the menu items “Window…Stop Drawing
Window” and “Window…Redraw Window” can be used to control the off screen graph
rendering if you want to use them.
Floating Point Rounding Errors
Most calculations performed by this program are
done with floating point (scientific notation) and have a range of
(3.4*10^-4932) to (1.1*10^4932) with an accuracy of 19-20 digits. This may cause
some unexpected rounding when very large or small numbers are used. For example,
the expression "(1+10^20)-10^20" should equal "1" but will be rounded to "0".
Negative Zero
Even though the value "-0" doesn't make a lot of mathematical
sense, the math coprocessor will generate it. The "negative zero" value is
treated the same as "zero" but, may be displayed as "-0".
Intel Pentium Floating Point Bug
This program contains a software fix for this
widely publicized bug. It should produce correct results when run on a computer
with this bug.
Program Files
MathGV requires only three program files MATHGV.EXE, MATHGV.HLP
and MATHGV.INI. No DLL's, VBX's, TSR's, Drivers or special setting are needed.
Saved Graph Files
Can have (*.MGF), (*.BMP) or (*.JPG) extensions. For more
information see: Saving a Graph. Bitmaps are saved using their current color
resolution.
Opening MathGV (.mgf) files by double clicking in Windows
The MathGV program has the ability to automatically open .mgf files when you
double click them in Windows. However, the install program does not
automatically set this up for you. You have to manually associate .mgf files
with the MathGV.exe program using Windows to enable this. Note: I left this
feature out of the install program to prevent conflicts with other applications.
For more information see: Saving a Graph.
MATHGV.INI Settings File
MathGV uses a standard ini file to store program
settings. Most of these settings are located in the Options dialog box.
There are 2 ways to prevent MathGV from saving updated settings to this file. This feature could be very useful when installing MathGV in a shared computer lab. If the ini file does not exist in the same directory then MathGV will not attempt to create a new one or save any settings. If the ini file is empty then MathGV will add settings information and use it normally.
The ini file can be locked (write protected but still read) by adding the following two lines with notepad.
[CanSaveOptions]
AllowIniFileChanges=0