Learning About Geometry with Kig on Ubuntu Linux
Teachers seeking a way to help students explore geometric constructs in an easy to learn plotting environment might like Kig. Part of the KDE Education Project, this application is designed to (from the Kig documentation):
1. Allow students to interactively explore mathematical figures and concepts using the computer.
2. Serve as a WYSIWYG tool for drawing mathematical figures and including them in other documents.
Both of these goals are accomplished quite well; I found Kig to be easy to use, full-featured, and fun. Here’s a screenshot with a line vector, an ellipse, and an arc.
Kig Example
A ton of plotting constructs are supporting beyond these basic figures, and there’s a built-in macro engine that allows for some pretty impressive plotting for those with more advanced needs. Taking things a bit further, here’s a 206-sided polygon, along with an equilateral triangle and a circle:
Kig Example #2
As with most Linux-based applications, it’s easy to export your work into numerous file formats. Kig supports native exporting to LaTex, Xfig, various image formats, and SVG. The ability to export to SVG is really a bonus; this allows you to import your creations into vector graphics packages. You can also embed SVG documents directly into most modern web browsers; click the example below to see our second example as an SVG file in your browser. Try zooming in an out of the image using your browser’s controls.
Kig Example #2 SVG Document
All things considered, Kig is a very nice piece of work, suitable for inclusion in any geometry classroom. Happy computing!
