These notes give some guidelines for doing computer lab assignments for Math 321. These notes are available in paper form and on my Web site:
http://www.und.nodak.edu/instruct/lapeters .

These instructions will assume that you are doing all lab exercises in the Mathematics Computer Laboratory in Room 2 in the basement of Witmer Hall. Most lab assignments will ask you to print out two or three pages of computer output, and you will need your university identification card (U Card) to do this. The attendant in the Math Computer Lab in will deduct a few cents from your U-Card account each time you perform a print operation. Please make sure that your card has a credit balance before you do each computer lab exercise. There is a machine at the Memorial Union which you can use to add money to your account. There is no such machine in the Math Computer Lab in Witmer Hall, but the Math Lab attendant may still be able to answer questions about the U Card.

According to the Web site of the Mathematics Computer Laboratory, the Lab is open from 9:00 A.M. to 9:00 P.M., Monday through Thursday, and 9:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M., on Fridays. The Lab is closed on Saturdays and Sundays. Go to the Lab at a time when it is open and not reserved for use by some other class. There is a calendar on the wall outside the Math Computer Lab which lists the times at which the Lab has been reserved. Turn on a computer and its monitor if they are not already on. Wait for the computer to initialize, and then go to the main screen containing the icons for many of the various computer applications.

Start the MINITAB program. To do this, double-click on the "MINITAB 14" icon. To "double-click," click twice in rapid succession. Always use the left mouse button to click. Talk to the Math Lab attendant or to a friend if you have any trouble with this. It may take up to a minute or so for MINITAB to start running. When MINITAB finally does start running, three windows should open up: "MINITAB-Untitled," "Session," and "Worksheet 1."

You may wish to adjust the font sizes (type sizes) so that the screen is easier to read. Click on Tools->Options. (The "Tools" menu is at the top of the "MINITAB-Untitled" window. When you click on "Tools," you will see the "Options" menu. Click on "Options.") Then click on the "+" sign by "Data Window," and then "Data Font." Set the font size to a convenient value, and click on "OK." Repeat the above procedure with "Label Font" instead of "Data Font." Now go to Tools->Options and click on the "+" sign by "Session Window". Change the I/O font to a convenient value. This will change the font size in the Session Window.

Other handouts will contain detailed instructions for the operation of MINITAB. If you have trouble, talk to a friend or to the Lab attendant, or come to see me in my office. You may also call me at 777-4609. There is a telephone at the Lab attendant's desk. Dial 7-4609 from that phone. If I am not too busy, I may be able to come down and help you. It is best to avoid calling me just before our class starts.