VOA标准英语2015--声成像用于寻找基础设施隐藏裂缝

Free Smart Phone App Helps Students With Math 声成像用于寻找基础设施隐藏裂缝

WASHINGTON—

School children usually can count on their parents to help them check if their homework is correct. But as students get older and their assignments get more complex, few parents are qualified¹ to assist them. At least for mathematics there is a solution, as a Croatian computer whiz is responsible for creating an application for solving equations.

Computer programmer and entrepreneur Damir Sabol has created an application using smartphone cameras to scan mathematical equations and return results within seconds.  But the app, called PhotoMath, does much more than that, he said.

"The students can check the results in their textbooks. They can calculate quickly and get the result fast, and see whether they did it right or not, but they can also get all the steps used to solve math problems. So it's not just a matter of getting results, but the whole process of getting to the solution. And we offer the entire process, step by step, along with explanations of what is being done. So for someone who is alone with a textbook, who just stares at equations and doesn't know what to do, our app can help them in many cases," said Sabol.

PhotoMath was unveiled at a computer fair in London last October. Sabol said that since then, the free application has been downloaded more than 11 million times.

"We hear from mothers who say, 'Finally, I can help my children solve mathematics.' We hear from teachers who say their entire classroom is using the app," he said.

Meanwhile, the inventor has been working on an upgrade for the successful app.

"We are about to release a new version of the app. First, we will release the Android version, which has a much bigger market, and we expect that to be the next element of growth. But not only that, the new version will support much more complex math problems, and we believe it will be much more interesting and useful for users, which is also why we expect the number of users to grow even further," said Sabol.

Sabol's company, MicroBLINK, made a breakthrough in 2012 with its PhotoPay scanning technology used for mobile banking², which scans bills and enables their instant payment. He said he has no regrets about making PhotoMath free because it has enabled his company to build a large database. His project has attracted attention from major educational companies.

"They see our technology is something that really works in education, and that it is something children want to use, and they see lots of potential for that. We believe this has really huge potential," he said.

Students who prefer electronic gadgets³ to books do, too.

1 qualified   

adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的

参考例句：

• He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
• We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。

2 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。

3 gadgets   

n.小机械，小器具（ gadget的名词复数 ）

参考例句：

• Certainly. The idea is not to have a house full of gadgets. 当然。设想是房屋不再充满小配件。 来自超越目标英语 第4册
• This meant more gadgets and more experiments. 这意味着要设计出更多的装置，做更多的实验。 来自英汉非文学 - 科学史