NodeCalc

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Inspiration

I would often get frustrated in my calculus classes after spending upwards of half an hour on a single problem, only to end up with a wrong answer because of a silly mistake somewhere in the middle of the problem. We decided to design a solution that would be able to show the thought process behind the calculations using a node-based structure.

What it does

The user can build complex functions using a node-based structure to easily follow the thought processes of their calculations, and to be able to "debug" their functions if need be.

How we built it

This was built primarily in React using the Flow library and Math.js for the calculations. We have a full stack set up for future improvements, using Node.js and SurrealDB, although those don't currently have much use within the current application. This application is fully containerized with docker to avoid local dependencies issues.

Challenges we ran into

A good portion of our group was entirely new to Javascript, which posed a decent learning curve, and we also used a more niche library for something it is not typically used for. There were many hours spent over tiny bugs, but despite this we learned a lot and managed to still create something interesting.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

The docker stack worked flawlessly which was a great surprise. It was also very rewarding to be able to learn an entirely unfamiliar library to the point of creating a useable application that matched our vision.

What we learned

We learned a library that none of us had any previous experience with, half of our team learned javascript for the first time, and we all learned a lot about collaborating with a team using git, as well as the containerized experience.

What's next for NodeCalc

We want to implement more advanced math functions, as well as make the UI more user-friendly and accessible. Part of the plans for this are hover-tool tips and a mini walk-through for first time users.