Link to Current (updated) notes

3.016 Mathematical Software

Symbolic mathematical computer software is a tool used by almost every applied scientist. Such software helps produce results quickly, visualizes and documents the results, and minimizes the silly errors that creep into complicated mathematical manipulations. Although there are many other good choices, I have decided to use MATHEMATICA$^{\text{\scriptsize {\textregistered }}}$ as a vehicle for learning and doing mathematics. It has a fairly steep learning curve, but it probably repays the time investment with powerful (once learned) language syntax and packages. Such symbolic mathematical software is an aid to help you think about and perform mathematics--it is not a replacement for mathematical understanding.

MATHEMATICA$^{\text{\scriptsize {\textregistered }}}$ is available for all MIT students, both on Athena (free) and via licenses for personal laptop and desktop machines ($30 for students, a useful investment for other subjects). The process to access MATHEMATICA$^{\text{\scriptsize {\textregistered }}}$ on Athena and the steps to download a license will be explained to you; the pertinent website is http://web.mit.edu/is/products/vsls/ http://web.mit.edu/is/products/vsls/. You will need MATHEMATICA$^{\text{\scriptsize {\textregistered }}}$ for your first homework set and laboratory; you should try to get it working someplace very soon. If you have a laptop, I suggest that you install MATHEMATICA$^{\text{\scriptsize {\textregistered }}}$ on it as soon as possible.

Homeworks and lab reports will be turned in as MATHEMATICA$^{\text{\scriptsize {\textregistered }}}$ notebooks, by mailing to 3.016(a)pruffle.mit.edu.

Laboratory assignments must be completed during the laboratory period and are to be emailed as an electronic copy of a MATHEMATICA$^{\text{\scriptsize {\textregistered }}}$ notebook to the instructor and the TA.