Doug Ensley
Department of Mathematics
Shippensburg University
Shippensburg PA 17257
deensl@ship.edu
This tool consists of two Flash player files that can be used by an instructor to create simple graphs for which students can determine planarity by attempting to rearrange nodes to avoid edge crossings. An example of the finished application is shown below. Try the interface to get a sense for what you are building...
The Instructor first runs the Flash applet graphMakerPlanar.html to create a graph using simple drag-and-drop interface. Once the graph is finished the Instructor is given a line of text data that can be transferred to a file named planar.txt. This process can be repeated indefinitely, with each new graph's data appended to the end of the file.
Next the Instructor places the files planarGraphs.swp, planarGraphs.html and planar.txt in the same directory. Additional instructions or navigation can be added to the planarGraphs.html file, if deemed appropriate. When a student accesses this file, he or she will see exercises like the example shown above presented in random order.
Direct questions or comments to Doug Ensley (deensl@ship.edu), Professor of Mathematics, Shippensburg Univerisity