Animal, Vegetable, Mineral
Contents
1. Vegetable Mineral ANIMAL VEGETABLE MINERAL appears to think The program questions the user about the topic chosen and encourages rational thinking and ordering of facts Based on the keyboard responses of the user the program encourages language development by responding with the user s own words in its questioning Several variations of this program are included to develop alternative learning stategies and a trial subject of Pets is used although the program will take input on any subject Easy and fun to use a valuable resource in any computer based learning E J ARNOLD amp SON LIMITED 19832. be used very profitably and enjoyably for its own sake as an exercise in logic or as a guessing game It can also be used as a means of summarising the results of a project where pupils would construct a complete database or as a revision and reinforcement aid In the latter case we would envisage that the teacher would have constructed an expert system for pupils to work through perhaps as a kind of maze game where they have to find their way to a particular item Security copies We strongly recommend that you make a security copy of Animal Vegetable Mineral use the security copy for day to day use and keep the master copy in a safe place The best way to take a security copy is to load the program into the computer s memory and SAVE according to the instructions in your computer s User Manual making sure that you are using a blank cassette or disk 5 QUICK REFERENCE Program loading BBC Model B CHAIN RETURN Press Play on cassette player Filename AVM Press CTRL T for Utilities Menu RML 480Z LOADGO AVM RETURN Press PLAY on cassette player Filename AVM Press CTRL T for Utilities Menu Spectrum LOAD ENTER LOAD is on the J key Press PLAY on cassette player Filename avm Press SYMBOL SHIFT T for Utilities Menu Apple Insert disk in drive 1 Switch on Press CTRL T for Utilities Menu The filename must be included when loading the RML 480Z but is optional when loading the other machines Animal
3. sequence you may use option 6 Edit the file You may edit either the questions or the names of the pets If you choose to edit the questions you are presented with a list of the questions Press the number of the one which you wish to change the computer will display the old question and ask you to enter the new question plus the correct answer for one of the associated pets ANIMAL VEGETABLE HINERAL ANIMAL VEGETABLE MINERFE Edit the questions Edit the 3uestionas Press number to edit The aid question is 2 15 IT 3 DOES IT IN Gis e EA A DOES IT R Now enter the nes duestian S DOES IT i 1 D0ES IN A CAGE DOES IT LIVE IN EG DOES IF LIVE IN A BOUL ANIMAL VEGETABLE MINERAL What is the answer for a GOLDFISH If you choose to edit the pets the computer will display a list of the pets in the file As when editing the questions if you press the number of the pet you wish to change the computer will display the old answer and ask you to type in the new answer You are then shown the question associated with the answer and asked 1f you want to change it ANIMAL VEGETRBLE MIMERAL HNTMAL VEGETRELE MINERAL P Edit the FETS The atd SSES Edit the PETS BUDGIE The otd question 825 IS IT A BIRD DO uou Bish to chanae it F Mow enter the new answer RUDGERIGAR If you decide to type in a new question you are then asked for the correct answer for your newly edited pet Sometimes you may be
4. ARLE MIMERASI Think af a PET I give up What are you thinking ar 3 A SUDGIE In this way the file is steadily built up by adding a new branch every time the computer s guess 1S wrong I think of a PET In this option the computer chooses a pet for you to guess It then prints the first question and says what the right answer would be for the pet 1t has chosen SAHIMAL VEGETABLE MINERAL What s my PET if you asked DGES IT LIVE IN A CAGE 7 The answer would be Yes What would your guess be 7 A BUDSIE A A NN d dE genre You then type in a suggestion which fits the information If the suggestion 1s incorrect the computer will tell you what the answer would be to the next question on the path of the chosen pet This continues until either you make the correct identification or you reach the end of the path without getting it right In this case the computer tells you which pet it had chosen Option 2 Load a File If you wish to load a file from tape select option 2 from the initial menu and you will be asked to enter the name of the datafile to load When you have typed this in and pressed RETURN or ENTER you will be told to start your tape You should press PLAY on your cassette player and then press any key on the computer The computer will now load the program and then ask if you wish to think of a pet or let it choose one The program will now run exactly the same as in option 1 It 1s Importa
5. E AD wag lg rg SE Ee dee mer 7 ESA y apan s eyi SE Lee Sais Pay AAA Se See Se P A Es A pie pore nay aes ee E SE DAA es ZZ PIIA I d E ee E aay dh A Animal Vegetable Mineral ARNOLD WHEATON User s Guide SOFTWARE ARNOLD WHEATON Software CONTENTS L Introduction Ze The Background to Animal Vegetable Mineral 2 3 Running Animal Vegetable Mineral 3 The Utilities Menu 9 4 Using Animal Vegetable Mineral 12 5 Quick Reference Program Loading 14 1 INTRODUCTION Animal Vegetable Mineral is a program which allows you to set up question and answer files on any subject You start by setting up a file on your chosen subject area The program guides you through the first stages to establish the first two alternatives You may now either think of an item for the computer to guess or let the computer choose an item for you to guess If you think of an item the computer will ask questions until it can reach a suggested identification Each question is anwered with a simple Yes or No If you wish to extend the file this is done automatically when you answer No to the computer s suggested identification If you ask the computer to think of an item it will tell you what the answer would be if you asked it a certain question It then asks you to type in your suggested identification There 1s also a Utilities Menu which allows you to edit the file and to save the datafile for use at a later time 2 T
6. HE BACKGROUND TO Animal Vegetable Mineral In any enjoyable educational activity the learning is often hidden in the doing Animal Vegetable Mineral encourages planned and organised thinking in a dynamic way and has the advantage of being content free the program stores the user s own subject quickly and easily Animal Vegetable Mineral is of educational value in three separate areas as an exercise in planning and construction of information as an introduction to the use of databases and expert systems and in encouraging systematic and logical thinking When the child is using the subject file and extending the database a considerable amount of thought is often required in order to devise a question which really does distinguish between two items in the file Planning is also required to ensure that any new additions satisfy all the conditions in the preceding questions Once a file has been developed to its full extent it can be used as a form of database to provide information on any given topic Such databases dedicated to one topic are known as expert systems Arnold Wheaton Software s Microbug is an example of a binary tree used in this way though considerably extended The option of letting the computer choose an item for the user to guess can be used as a game but does force the user to think systematically about items which fulfil all the criteria in the questions in order to arrive at the correct identification 3 R
7. UNNING Animal Vegetable Mineral When you first run Animal Vegetable Mineral you will be presented with the following menu ANIMAL VEGETABLE MINERAL You may noe 1 Start a new Fite 2 Load a Fite Which 1 2 Option 1 Start a new file If you select option 1 you will first of all be asked to type in a name for your new file The maximum length for this name 1s 20 characters and the name should be in the plural We will use as an example a file on PETS all references to pets below apply equally to whatever you choose as the subject of your file When you have typed in the name and pressed RETURN or ENTER the computer displays the name and you are asked to confirm that this is correct ANTHAL VEGETABLE HIMERAL ANTHAL VESETASLE HIMEIRAS START A NEU FILE Your filename witt be Type in a Filename i the piiiral form te describe PETS your subject amp G Dogs Trees Cars ap O R iyen F i i 20 Characters MANS BUS You are then asked to type in the singular form of your filename This ensures that the correct form is used even in cases where singular and plural differ by more than a single s Next you are asked to type in the names of the first two items in your file For example in our file on PETS the first two pets might be a hamster and a cat Now the computer asks for a question which will distinguish between the two for example Does it live in a cage and the corre
8. asked for the answer for another pet this happens when you have changed the last question on a particular path Great care must be taken when changing questions to ensure that the new question applies to all branches both questions and answers further down the path in question 4 USING Animal Vegetable Mineral In the home Animal Vegetable Mineral can be a stimulating educational game for all members of the family It is uncomplicated and easy to use After a few practice runs it is simple to set questions on any subject and this can be used for party games quiet evenings or simple curiosity ie What can you do with a computer On a more serious note revision of particular topics either at work or at school building up to exams for example can be undertaken with ease and the program s structure encourages rational and logical thinking Whichever way you choose to run the program remember to enjoy yourself In the Classroom It has been our experience in developing Animal Vegetable Mineral and other programs that by far the greatest benefit from computers in primary schools comes when the children work in groups The prolonged high level focussed discussion which working with computers seems to inspire has benefits which stretch far beyond the subject content of the program being used at the time Experience suggests that a group of 3 to 5 children 1s the optimum size for primary computing Animal Vegetable Mineral can
9. ct answer Yes or No for the first one The maximum length of the question is 26 characters lt A Se ae ANIMAL VEGETABLE NINER amp SL j j ANIMAL VEGETABLE HINERARL i GEET Sea ES A E 3 Now give me a question ebich distinguiskes AAA AON MAMAN a crete t Rta rs between Enter another PET i car HAMSTER i and 2 HAMSTER ENTER GUEST ION DOES IT LIVE IN A CAGE z s 3 a3 A 2 Shift LESETAOBLE S Et What is the answer This process has generated the first branch on the binary tree The user is now given the choice of thinking of a pet for the computer to guess or having the computer choose a pet for them to think of Once you have set up the file however there are a number of further options avallable to you by pressing CONTROL and T together SYMBOL SHIFT and T on the Spectrum See The Utilities Menu below If you choose You think of a pet the computer presents you with the first question for the file ANIMAL VEGETABLE MINERAL Think of a PET DOES IT LIVE IN A CAGE Depending on whether you answer Y or N the computer will guess one or other of the pets with you started the file ANIMAL VEGETABLE HINERRL Think of a PET it a HAMSTER If you were not thinking of this pet the computer will ask you to tell it the name of the new pet followed by a question to distinguish between its suggestion and your pet and the correct answer for its suggestion i ANIMAL VEGET
10. nt to keep a record of the filenames you have used for Animal Vegetable Mineral topics as you must search for a specific file when you are using this option The easiest way to catalogue a tape of unknown files or programs 1s to type LOAD filename using a filename which you have definitely not used This will display the name of each file as 1t 1s located but will of course never actually load The Utilities Menu Once there is a file stored in the computer there are a number of further options open to you If you press CONTROL and T together SYMBOL SHIFT and T on the Spectrum you will be taken to the following menu i ANIMAL VEGETABLE MINERAL Choices are h Li pa y AIN Par Oe DT DEPARA zl OUT qe ad TD fo bi d O C Mhich 11 737 i i H i H f f H Options 1 and 2 Start a new file and Load a file on this menu operate in exactly the same way as items and 2 on the program s initial menu If you select options 3 Save a file the computer asks you to type in the name by which you want to save the datafile the maximum length is 6 characters You are then asked to start your tape set the cassette player to RECORD and press any key to start the process of saving You are then returned to the Utilities Menu OPtions 4 and 5 You think of a PET and I think of a PET again return you to the main sequence of the program If you have made a mistake in any part of the question and answer
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