When Will I Need Math Software in My Studies?

[shelovesmath]

Hi all. Ok, so I'm a mathematics major, but I'm only so far as my first linear algebra course right now. I have not had any need to use Maple or Mathematica or Mathlab or a calculator for that matter.

So, I'm curious WHEN I might have to start using these programs (what level math).

Also, is one program better for abstract and one better for applied? I'm not really sure what the pro's and con's are to each program.

I have used the Wolfram Alpha site to check homework answers before. That's about it.

 

[Bill Simpson]

I think that "pure" math folks tend to rarely use these while "applied" math folks tend to use these more. The further you go in "pure" math the more proofs and the fewer tools you seem to use.

If someone could produce an easy to use and very dependable tool that would help students become very skilled at writing proofs in their first proof class and would easily and dependably check more advanced proofs for flaws or possible gaps in reasoning then this might very slowly begin to change the culture in "pure" mathematics. Unfortunately, none of those are easy to use or accepted yet.

 

[Simon_Tyler]

Bill, that's not quite true. There are lots of pure maths that require a lot of calculation. For this there is Magma and more recently Sage. Sage includes other specialist packages like Singular, Pari/GP, etc...

It's worth reading
http://sagemath.blogspot.com/2009/12/mathematical-software-and-me-very.html

 

[implicitnone]

Hi,

It would be nice to start right now, just like you're doing with Wolfram Alpha.

Maple (or a second choice of mine would be Mathematica) for a mathematician. You can do both symbolic (where x or y or "the parameters" live as they are) or numerical (where all parameters have numerical values) calculations with Maple and Mathematica. MATLAB is mainly for numerical studies, its symbolic engine is not as good as Maple or Mathematica. Sage is also a very nice and free program if you do not want to pay for Maple or Mathematica, there is also a free MATLAB-like program, Octave which is I think very good.