Mathematical Explorer 1.0

Mathematics and Computer Education, Fall 2002 by Ashbacher, Charles

MATHEMATICAL EXPLORER 1.0

by Wolfram Research Inc., Windows/Macintosh version $89.95 Available for Microsoft Windows 95/98/Me/NT/2000/XP and Mac OS Requires 130MB disk space, 32 MB RAM, and CD-ROM drive Order online at http://www.wolfram.com

This package is amazing, both in ease of use as well as capability. Within ten minutes of loading it on my computer I was playing with some formulas looking for primes, doing factorizations, and generally enjoying the experience. My starting point was the main contents of the help browser, which contains the following categories:

* Prime numbers

* Calculus

* Formulas for computing pi

* Square wheels

* The power of check digits

* Secret Codes

* Recreational mathematics

* Exploring Escher patterns

* Varieties of roses

* Turtle fractalization

* Patterns in chaos

* Fermat's Last Theorem

* Riemann Hypothesis

* Unusual number systems

* Four-color theorem

* Mathematicians

Each of these categories has many subcategories, and there are many hyperlinks in the text so that specific topics can be explored in greater detail. The material is written at a level that is within the knowledge base of the typical mathematics undergraduate, and many of the primary functions of Mathematical Explorer are demonstrated. I found this an excellent way to learn what the package can do, and had to consult the help only once as I worked my way through the bulk of the capability. To make life easier, I copied the text in the category, pasted it into the expression builder and then ran it. The only problems that occurred were my responsibility.

I must say that the capability of this program is impressive. I factored large numbers, checked primality, and did all the "natural" things a mathematician would do when first encountering a package that does numeric and symbolic mathematical computation. After that, I did other interesting things like colored the map of Europe, plotted the output of functions, created Escher things (very nice!) and created diagrams of overhanging dominos. Some of the figures are animated, activated by double-clicking.

After going through all of these categories, I felt I had learned the power and basics of how to use Mathematical Explorer. The programming language is not difficult to learn, being essentially mathematical notation slightly modified to accommodate what can easily be typed on a computer keyboard.

Even though I've spent hours and hours working with this package, doing many different things and enjoying myself immensely, I really still haven't explored the full capability of what it can do. Quite frankly, that could take months to years to achieve. However, getting started is easy, which makes this package ideal for mathematics labs. It is a great learning tool. Reviewed by Charles Ashbacher http://www.ashbacher.com