After open-sourcing the Windows 10 Calculator on GitHub at the start of the month, Microsoft has now started work on expanding the app with new features, as it initially promised.
Out of the 30+ suggestions that open-source contributors have proposed so far, Microsoft engineers have selected a proposal called "Graphing Mode" as the first feature to be added to Windows Calculator via GitHub.
As its name implies, Graphing Mode will allow users to create graphs based on mathematical equations, in a similar way to Matlab's (way more advanced) Plotting Mode.
The feature was proposed by Microsoft engineer Dave Grochocki, also a member of the Windows Calculator team.
In a GitHub issue Grochocki submitted to support his proposal, he argued that a graphing mode would help students learn algebra easier.
"High school algebra is the gateway to mathematics and all other disciplines of STEM," Grochocki said. "However, algebra is the single most failed course in high school, as well as the most failed course in community college."
By adding a Graphing Mode to Windows Calculator, an app included with all Windows 10 versions, the Microsoft engineer hopes to provide students and teachers with a free tool to help schools across the world.
"Physical graphing calculators can be expensive, software solutions require licenses and configuration by school IT departments, and online solutions are not always an option," he added.
"Graphing capabilities in their daily tools are essential for students who are beginning to explore linear algebra as early as 8th grade. [...] At present, Windows Calculator does not currently have the needed functionality to meet the demands of students."
Besides its potential for having an impact on the educational sector, Microsoft also took into account user requests received via the company's Feedback Hub app, where a "graphing calculator" was one of the most requested features.
There is no timeline for shipping the Windows Calculator graphing mode feature, as the GitHub issue is currently marked only as in "pre-production."
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