Should I Use Mathcad, SAGE, and CoCalc for My Next Math Project?

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SUMMARY

This discussion evaluates the use of Mathcad, SAGE, and CoCalc for mathematical projects. Mathcad is noted for its intuitive user interface and capabilities in creating complex mathematical formulas, but it is not free and only runs on Windows. SAGE, while offering similar functionalities, is free and primarily console-based, requiring a Linux environment for installation. CoCalc enhances collaboration and provides access to various free mathematical tools, including SAGE, making it a valuable resource for team projects.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of mathematical modeling and numerical analysis.
  • Familiarity with programming in C++ for Mathcad users.
  • Basic knowledge of Linux environments for SAGE installation.
  • Experience with collaborative tools for online projects.
NEXT STEPS
  • Explore the features of Mathcad 15 for advanced mathematical modeling.
  • Learn SAGE's syntax and capabilities for symbolic and numerical computations.
  • Investigate CoCalc's collaborative features and integration with LaTeX.
  • Sign up for the Wolfram Development Platform to utilize Mathematica's capabilities.
USEFUL FOR

Mathematicians, educators, and students involved in mathematical modeling, numerical analysis, and collaborative projects will benefit from this discussion.

karush
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ok Mathcad and SAGE and Cocalc

I have only touched these programs

the reviews I read on Mathcad don't seem to be very good
yet some community colleges here worship it

I am very reluctant to dive into it

On SAGE
never heard of it until we had to do a project with it in Linear Algebra
kinda liked it feels kinda beta type

with it we used CoCalc with was kinda wow with first impression
it sure banged out hefty matrices nice

the two magic words I heard was "collaborate" and "cloud computing"
apparent for team projects

so any guiding light on this before jumping on board ?
 
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karush said:
ok Mathcad and SAGE and Cocalc

I have only touched these programs

the reviews I read on Mathcad don't seem to be very good
yet some community colleges here worship it

I am very reluctant to dive into it

On SAGE
never heard of it until we had to do a project with it in Linear Algebra
kinda liked it feels kinda beta type

with it we used CoCalc with was kinda wow with first impression
it sure banged out hefty matrices nice

the two magic words I heard was "collaborate" and "cloud computing"
apparent for team projects

so any guiding light on this before jumping on board ?
I've been a MathCad user for nearly 25 years - beta testing on several versions. I don't have any complaints about it. It helps me do some of the things I want to do. Last I checked, it was in general use at the local college.
 
wish it was free
 
They are all different tools that complement each other.

MathCAD has a very nice intuitive user interface.
It allows to easily create complicated math formulas and evaluate them either symbolically or numerically.
It only runs on Windows though, and it's indeed not free.
I used it a lot in my work to develop mathematical models, which I would then program in C++.

I'm not really familiar with SageMath (yet), but I can see that it seems to offer more or less the same symbolical and numerical capabilities.
Its user interface is console only though, and it seems to be quite strict in how you write your expressions.
But it's free!

I'm not familiar with CoCalc either, but I can see that it's an online tool that allows access to all free math tooling, including SageMath.
In particular that excludes tools like Mathematica, MathCAD, and MathLab, which are not free.
And it facilitates collaboration with others.
 
be nice to write pdf book on
the online programs
 
I like Serena said:
They are all different tools that complement each other.

MathCAD has a very nice intuitive user interface.
It allows to easily create complicated math formulas and evaluate them either symbolically or numerically.
It only runs on Windows though, and it's indeed not free.
I used it a lot in my work to develop mathematical models, which I would then program in C++.

I'm not really familiar with SageMath (yet), but I can see that it seems to offer more or less the same symbolical and numerical capabilities.
Its user interface is console only though,

You can use it in a browser mode, very much like (if it's not actually already) a Jupyter notebook. This is a style inspired by Mathematica. In the browser mode, you can check a box that says put output in $\LaTeX$ - very nice. In fact, I would say that its output is very often better formatted than Mathematica. Another plus: it's built on top of Python, so you can use Python code anywhere you want in it.

Downside: you can't really install it natively in Windows. It's really a Linux thing. Installing on Windows essentially boils down to installing a virtual machine running Linux, and then running SageMath inside that. On the other hand, you can execute short snippets of SageMath code in their online Sage Cell Server.

I like Serena said:
and it seems to be quite strict in how you write your expressions.
But it's free!

I'm not familiar with CoCalc either, but I can see that it's an online tool that allows access to all free math tooling, including SageMath.
In particular that excludes tools like Mathematica, MathCAD, and MathLab, which are not free.
And it facilitates collaboration with others.

With respect to Mathematica, you can sign up for a free Wolfram Development Platform account, which let's you execute quite a bit of Mathematica code. Because it's free, you don't get unlimited compute time, so if a calculation takes too long, it'll time out. I use the Wolfram Dev Platform all the time, though, since I don't have access to Mathematica.
 
karush said:
be nice to write pdf book on
the online programs

You can do that with Overleaf.
 
yes very easy

it collaborates great with latex also

I would need input from others tho
it would be tons of research

one thing nice PDF can updated easy to keep up with trends

I am done with classes so maybe I could start one:rolleyes:
 

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