Pi Cubed
Pi Cubed is a visual math application for the iPhone, iPod touch, and now iPad that lets you perform calculations as you would on a piece of paper. By using an animated, touch-based interface, even the most complex mathematical expressions can be entered and instantly evaluated. These expressions are typeset as they would be in a textbook or on a blackboard. Calculations are displayed with up to 34 digits of decimal precision. Additionally, a library of over 150 equations ships with the application.
Download video (h.264, iPhone / iPod touch)
Equations can be easily edited onscreen using simple touch interactions. All editing and entry operations are animated through heavy use of the Core Animation framework. For fine editing or inspection, pinch-zooming gestures can be used to magnify the equations. Equations can be scrolled around using swipes of a finger.
Any calculation or equation can be stored to an internal database for later retrieval or editing. In addition, a built-in library of over 150 equations is provided covering fields as varied as finance, geometry, and fluid mechanics. As an aid, tapping on a variable in an equation will display a text description of that variable. This is handy when dealing with complex engineering calculations or as an educational aid.
Equations that are entered or loaded from the library can be exported via email in plain text, LaTeX, or PDF formats for use in research papers or other documents. Equations expressed in terms of x, y, and z can be exported to Grafly for plotting. Additionally, equations can be copied to the clipboard and pasted in other applications on the device.
A diverse range of mathematical operations are supported. These include:
- Numbers, including basic constants
- Arithmetic operations (addition, subtraction, division, multiplication)
- Parentheses and brackets
- Logarithms (base 10), natural logarithms, and logarithms with arbitrary bases
- Square roots, and roots with arbitrary powers
- Exponentials
- Trigonometry operations (sine, cosine, tangent, hyperbolic operations, inverse operations)
- The error function
- Factorials
If you want to try out the capabilities of the application before you purchase, Pi Cubed Lite is available on the App Store for free. The Lite version has many of the calculation capabilities of Pi Cubed, but lacks the built-in and user-defined equation libraries, can't export equations via email or for plotting, and can only store up to five recent calculations. It also lacks the iPad interface of the full version.
Pi Cubed uses several of the high-quality icons from the set published by Glyphish.
Sunset Lake Software has elected to donate 10% of the net proceeds from the sale of Pi Cubed to the Child's Play charity. Child's Play provides video games, toys, and other forms of entertainment to children's hospitals around the world, in order to put the children there at ease and take their minds off of their immediate circumstances. Even if Pi Cubed is not for you, please take the time to read up on Child's Play and help them out if you can.
