Open Source Mathematica/Derive like program

haki

Hi, can anyone recommend me an open source or at least a free program similar to Derive or Mathematica? I did some searching on the web but didn't found anything useful. I would like a program in which I can enter

Integal[{x^2},x]; and then have the output of x^3/3

preferably something easy to use like Derive. Any pointers are welcome.

chroot

Please use the search function -- we've answered this question over and over and over again. Look into Maxima.

- Warren

benorin

Check out this thread on www.mathlinks.ro .

HallsofIvy

I doubt that you will find much. A program like Mathematica and Derive require one heck of a lot of work, typically by a large crew of programmers. I doubt they are going to do all that work for free.

chroot

Eh? Are you unaware of programs like Maxima and Octave? They are extremely good free replacements for the commercial packages Mathematica and MATLAB.

- Warren

uart

To see how this software that clearly does require "one heck of a lot of work" to develop can become GPL freeware take look at the brief but interesting wikipedia article
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxima

haki

Thank you very much for your replies.

Maxima rocks. I like it very much (commands and such, very intuitive) and the help system is excellent. For now it covers everything I need but there was one thing I couldn't find in maximas help.

I wanted to get the first pair of numbers (x,y) that are the solution to the following Diophantine equation 222x+255y=9 where y is the smallest possible positive intiger for the pair (x,y) to be the solution to the equation.

uart

I don't know how to do that in Maxima, maybe someone else can help there, but that particular equation is very easy to solve by inspection. Soln : x=-3, y=3

haki

I think that the pair (-8,7) that is x = -8, y = 7 is the first pair of solutions for which y is the smallest positive number. But anyway, thats a bit exotic problem to work on maxima.

uart

Doh, I misread the equation as 252x+255y=9.

I need to start wearing my glasses more often.

haki

Yeah, I hate the most when I do something like that on an exam, I am still angry for a week or two after the exam, since I have lost points not because of my inabilities to solve a problem.