THE ASYSTANT Scientific Number Cruncher is aptly named. Many analysis
techniques require many iterations or tests on the same array of data, and
this package offers a comprehensive set of mathematical and statistical
tools for this purpose.
At first sight, the software looks like a grand scientific calculator;
indeed, the core module is called the Desk Calculator. When you load the
software, it displays a cluttered screen of options. This seems complicated
at first sight, but it is well designed. There are five windows, three for
data, one for calculator functions and one for main options such as graphics,
curve fitting and wave generation.
You can switch the calculator window through four screens in all, giving
a vast choice of mathematical functions. Above this, there is an empty window
for the stack, containing up to five registers where numbers can be entered,
as with a calculator. A simple selection from the calculator functions,
like square root or sin, will immediately act on the top register in the
stack, and keyboard commands such as add (+) and divide (/) also act on
the stack.
The other two windows contain memory slots: the top one (parameters)
can contain numbers of any type of data, the bottom (variables) holds arrays
as well as numbers. A command line mode allows calculations to be carried
out in one go, without manipulating the stack. You can also evaluate algebraic
expressions. A confusion is that RPN and algebraic operations differ in
the precedence of operations; for example, RPN always executes commands
from left to right, but algebraic syntax will run bracketed expressions
first. So be careful if you are mixing these methods.
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Asystant handles arrays as if they are single numbers. It is the array-handling
that is one of the package’s more interesting and powerful features. A user
creates and stores an array as a variable by simply entering a number, selecting
the ‘n:ramp’ option from the array operations menu in the calculator, and
then storing it. You can also edit any element in the array with the ‘aedit’
option. Twodimensional arrays can also be set up. From here, it is a simple
matter to plot a function such as y = 2 X 2 + 3 over an interval (1,2).
The graphics part of the package takes y and x values stored as arrays and
generates plots on the screen; you can also send your results to a plotter
or a laser printer.
The main menu options include a waveform generator and analyser, processing
from data files, equation solving (including differential equations), curve
fitting and statistical analyses.
This is just a brief taste of Asystant. It is the core module of a family
of products: there is an extension for data acquisition, for example. My
impression is that it is a powerful, welldesigned product. Users do need
good maths to work with it. The screen interface and graphics are very good,
and it is a pleasure to report that the two manuals, reference and tutorial,
are excellent. At the special offer price of Pounds sterling 195, Asystant
is a bargain.
Asystant runs on IBM PCs or compatibles. It needs 640K memory, a numeric
coprocessor (for example, 8087, 80287), and CGA, EGA or Hercules graphics.
Asystant is produced by Asyst Software Technologies Inc and distributed
in Britain by Keithley Instruments, Reading. Tel: 0734 861287.
