Bridging symbolic computation and economics: a dynamic and interactive tool to analyze the price elasticity of supply

It is not possible to achieve the objectives and skills of a program in economics, at the secondary and undergraduate levels, without resorting to graphic illustrations. In this way, the use of educational software has been increasingly recognized as a useful tool to promote students' motivation to deal with, and understand, new economic concepts. Current digital technology allows students to work with a large number and variety of graphics in an interactive way, complementing the theoretical results and the so often used paper and pencil calculations. The computer algebra system Mathematica is a very powerful software that allows the implementation of many interactive visual applications. Thanks to the symbolic and numerical capabilities of Mathematica, these applications allow the user to interact with the graphical and analytical information in real time. However, Mathematica is a commercially distributed application which makes it difficult for teachers and students to access. The main goal of this paper is to present a new dynamic and interactive tool, created with Mathematica and available in the Computable Document Format. This format allows anyone with a computer to use, at no cost, the PES(Linear)-Tool, even without an active Wolfram Mathematica license. The PES(Linear)-Tool can be used as an active learning tool to promote better student activity and engagement in the learning process, among students enrolled in socio-economic programs. This tool is very intuitive to use which makes it suitable for less experienced users.Funding Agency Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology UID/ECO/04007/2019info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A novel approach to symbolic algebra

A prototype for an extensible interactive graphical term manipulation system is presented that combines pattern matching and nondeterministic evaluation to provide a convenient framework for doing tedious algebraic manipulations that so far had to be done manually in a semi-automatic fashion.Comment: 15 page

Introduction to the GiNaC Framework for Symbolic Computation within the C++ Programming Language

The traditional split-up into a low level language and a high level language in the design of computer algebra systems may become obsolete with the advent of more versatile computer languages. We describe GiNaC, a special-purpose system that deliberately denies the need for such a distinction. It is entirely written in C++ and the user can interact with it directly in that language. It was designed to provide efficient handling of multivariate polynomials, algebras and special functions that are needed for loop calculations in theoretical quantum field theory. It also bears some potential to become a more general purpose symbolic package

A Survey of User Interfaces for Computer Algebra Systems

AbstractThis paper surveys work within the Computer Algebra community (and elsewhere) directed towards improving user interfaces for scientific computation during the period 1963–1994. It is intended to be useful to two groups of people: those who wish to know what work has been done and those who would like to do work in the field. It contains an extensive bibliography to assist readers in exploring the field in more depth. Work related to improving human interaction with computer algebra systems is the main focus of the paper. However, the paper includes additional materials on some closely related issues such as structured document editing, graphics, and communication protocols

JWalk: a tool for lazy, systematic testing of java classes by design introspection and user interaction

Popular software testing tools, such as JUnit, allow frequent retesting of modified code; yet the manually created test scripts are often seriously incomplete. A unit-testing tool called JWalk has therefore been developed to address the need for systematic unit testing within the context of agile methods. The tool operates directly on the compiled code for Java classes and uses a new lazy method for inducing the changing design of a class on the fly. This is achieved partly through introspection, using Java’s reflection capability, and partly through interaction with the user, constructing and saving test oracles on the fly. Predictive rules reduce the number of oracle values that must be confirmed by the tester. Without human intervention, JWalk performs bounded exhaustive exploration of the class’s method protocols and may be directed to explore the space of algebraic constructions, or the intended design state-space of the tested class. With some human interaction, JWalk performs up to the equivalent of fully automated state-based testing, from a specification that was acquired incrementally