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

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the use of Mathcad, SAGE, and CoCalc for math projects, exploring their features, usability, and suitability for collaborative work. Participants share their experiences and opinions on these tools, touching on aspects such as user interface, cost, and functionality.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express reluctance to use Mathcad due to mixed reviews, despite its popularity in some educational institutions.
  • One user has extensive experience with Mathcad, finding it helpful for developing mathematical models, but notes it is not free and only runs on Windows.
  • Participants mention SAGE as a tool they encountered in a Linear Algebra project, with mixed feelings about its user interface being console-only and somewhat strict in expression syntax, but appreciate that it is free.
  • CoCalc is described as an online tool that facilitates collaboration and provides access to free math tools, including SAGE, while excluding paid software like Mathematica and Mathcad.
  • There is a suggestion that SAGE can be used in a browser mode similar to Jupyter notebooks, with good formatting options for output.
  • Concerns are raised about the installation of SAGE on Windows, as it is primarily designed for Linux environments.
  • Some participants express interest in writing a PDF book on online programs, highlighting the ease of collaboration with LaTeX through Overleaf.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants have varying opinions on the tools discussed, with no clear consensus on which is superior. Some appreciate Mathcad's interface while others criticize its cost and platform limitations. SAGE and CoCalc are viewed positively by some for their collaborative features, but concerns about usability remain. The discussion reflects multiple competing views without resolution.

Contextual Notes

Participants mention limitations such as the requirement for specific operating systems for certain tools and the need for collaboration and research in creating educational materials.

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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