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With this fourth edition the book makes its fi rst appearance as an interactive
ebook. Th is format allows the reader to follow the contents in much the
same way as they are presented in the courses that I teach at the University
of Potsdam and elsewhere. During such courses the participants interact
with the various tools by changing the input parameters of the algorithms
and exploring the subsequent modifi cations introduced to the graphics.
Th e spectral analysis of time series is demonstrated not only by examining
graphics but also by listening to audio examples of signals and noise. Using
MATLAB to visualize three-dimensional digital terrain models that can be
rotated interactively helps to understand complex topography much better
than two dimensional graphics.
Th is ebook allows the reader to interact with the book in a very similar
manner. It comes in two diff erent formats, with the fi rst being for Apple iPads
and Macs (in the form of an .ibooks fi le created with Apple’s iBooks Author
soft ware) and the second being for other platforms (as a PDF fi le created
with Adobe InDesign). Th e ebook has been designed to be read in landscape
mode; it includes movies, galleries, audios and interactive 3D displays, as
well as reviews at the end of each chapter. Th e movies demonstrate the use
of graphical user interface tools; they also help to explore the eff ect that
changing input parameters has on the output of a function and to visualize
mathematical operations. Galleries are generally used to present a series
of linked graphics, such as those displaying the various measures of the
dispersion and shape of a distribution. Audios are used to provide a striking
representation of signals and noise, as well as the eff ect of fi lters. Interactive
3D displays allow interactive rotating of digital terrain models and other
three-dimensional objects. Each chapter ends with a Review (or quiz), which
tests the reader’s understanding of its content. Th ese interactive media (or
widgets) can be explored, observed, or listened to (on Macs) using a multitouch
trackpad or a mouse, or (on iPads) using your fi nger(s), by clicking
the Play button (to watch movies and to listen to audios), by clicking the
arrows or swiping left or right (to navigate through a gallery), or by clicking
and dragging a 3D object to rotate it. Movies, galleries and 3D objects can
be zoomed to full screen by toggling the full-screen mode in the lower right
corner (with movies), or by simply clicking on the image (with galleries and
3D objects). |
