TrigMaster is very easy to use, but is only available from the Shell. If you are a novice at the command line interface don't worry. There is no better time to learn than the present. This program doesn't write or delete anything in anyway, therefore you cannot damage your system by experimenting with it. Simply open a Shell by double clicking the icon on your system disk, resize it to full page via the gadgets, and read on. The original idea behind this type of program came from an old Hewlett Packard programmable calculator my father used for highway surveying. It utilized the exact format of TrigMaster, so on the off chance you used one of those old dinosaurs this will be review. For others (probably everyone), the command line for TrigMaster is very easy to use. The first parameter is the qualifier string. This is a three letter string of 'A's or 'S's. They denote what the following three parameters will mean to the program. An 'A' stands for an angle, and an 'S' stands for a side. These can be in any combination (except AAA). The following triangle may help to relieve some of the confusion. A /\ / \ b / \ c / \ /________\ C a B Triangles have six basic values in Trigonometry. They are each of the angles represented by capital letters, and each of the sides represented by the lower case letter of the opposite angle (as shown). If any three values are known, the other three can be calculated. The exception to this is that having all three angles cannot yield the length of the sides. This isn't my exception, it is well documented. To arrive at what qualifier string to use, first figure out what values are already known. If you have two sides and an angle, picture where on the triangle they would rest. Then, start with the most counterclockwise item and call them out going clockwise. This sounds a little vague, so lets do a few examples. If you have side b, side c, and angle B, the qualifier would be SSA If you have side a, angle C, and side b, the qualifier would be SAS If you have side a, side b, and side c, the qualifier would be SSS If you have angle B, side a, and angle C, the qualifier would be ASA A /\ / \ b / \ c / \ /________\ C a B Once you do a few of them, they become a lot more natural. You just have to be careful not to skip around the triangle. For instance, if you have angle A, side a, and angle C it would NOT be ASA! The qualifier would be SAA for side a, angle C, and angle A. Lets use this example to demonstrate how to check a qualifier. The incorrect ASA is a good test case. First angle A is called. Then side a, but wait. To get to side a we had to skip side c and angle B! The qualifier will never skip two items! The remaining parameters are simply the values that correspond to the qualifier letters in the first parameter. If you had a qualifier of SAS, the three parameters that followed would be a side, angle, and side respectively. These numbers should be very simple to figure out once you have the qualifier mastered. If your head needs a little reminder, just type TrigMaster without any parameters and a usage screen will be displayed. This program starts a new class of freely distributable software. I call it EducationWare. If this software helps anyone achieve a better grade in Trigonometry than they ordinarily would have expected, they need to contribute some form of educational assistance to someone who needs it. This can be anything from a monetary donation to the school of your choice, to helping a student with their studies, to writing a program of your own on a different subject and releasing it under similar guidelines. If enough people jump on the bandwagon, maybe the average graduates of tomorrow will be able to read a simple job application. I can be contacted by mail at: 2116 S Majestic Dr E Wenatchee, WA 98802 Or at my GEnie mail address: D.LESTER2