Can Computer Algebra be Liberated from its Algebraic Yoke ?

So far, the scope of computer algebra has been needlessly restricted to exact algebraic methods. Its possible extension to approximate analytical methods is discussed. The entangled roles of functional analysis and symbolic programming, especially the functional and transformational paradigms, are put forward. In the future, algebraic algorithms could constitute the core of extended symbolic manipulation systems including primitives for symbolic approximations.Comment: 8 pages, 2-column presentation, 2 figure

Computation in Classical Mechanics

There is a growing consensus that physics majors need to learn computational skills, but many departments are still devoid of computation in their physics curriculum. Some departments may lack the resources or commitment to create a dedicated course or program in computational physics. One way around this difficulty is to include computation in a standard upper-level physics course. An intermediate classical mechanics course is particularly well suited for including computation. We discuss the ways we have used computation in our classical mechanics courses, focusing on how computational work can improve students' understanding of physics as well as their computational skills. We present examples of computational problems that serve these two purposes. In addition, we provide information about resources for instructors who would like to include computation in their courses.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, submitted to American Journal of Physic

Solving second-order linear ordinary differential equations by using interactive software

Differential equations constitute an area of great theoretical research and applications in several branches of science and technology. The scope of this work is to present new software that is able to show all the steps in the process of solving a linear second-order ordinary differential equation with constant coefficients.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

LevelScheme: A level scheme drawing and scientific figure preparation system for Mathematica

LevelScheme is a scientific figure preparation system for Mathematica. The main emphasis is upon the construction of level schemes, or level energy diagrams, as used in nuclear, atomic, molecular, and hadronic physics. LevelScheme also provides a general infrastructure for the preparation of publication-quality figures, including support for multipanel and inset plotting, customizable tick mark generation, and various drawing and labeling tasks. Coupled with Mathematica's plotting functions and powerful programming language, LevelScheme provides a flexible system for the creation of figures combining diagrams, mathematical plots, and data plots.Comment: LaTeX (RevTeX), 10 pages, associated files available from http://wnsl.physics.yale.edu/levelschem

Computing generalized inverses using LU factorization of matrix product

An algorithm for computing {2, 3}, {2, 4}, {1, 2, 3}, {1, 2, 4} -inverses and the Moore-Penrose inverse of a given rational matrix A is established. Classes A(2, 3)s and A(2, 4)s are characterized in terms of matrix products (R*A)+R* and T*(AT*)+, where R and T are rational matrices with appropriate dimensions and corresponding rank. The proposed algorithm is based on these general representations and the Cholesky factorization of symmetric positive matrices. The algorithm is implemented in programming languages MATHEMATICA and DELPHI, and illustrated via examples. Numerical results of the algorithm, corresponding to the Moore-Penrose inverse, are compared with corresponding results obtained by several known methods for computing the Moore-Penrose inverse

Aligator.jl - A Julia Package for Loop Invariant Generation

We describe the Aligator.jl software package for automatically generating all polynomial invariants of the rich class of extended P-solvable loops with nested conditionals. Aligator.jl is written in the programming language Julia and is open-source. Aligator.jl transforms program loops into a system of algebraic recurrences and implements techniques from symbolic computation to solve recurrences, derive closed form solutions of loop variables and infer the ideal of polynomial invariants by variable elimination based on Gr\"obner basis computation

Symbolic Manipulators Affect Mathematical Mindsets

Symbolic calculators like Mathematica are becoming more commonplace among upper level physics students. The presence of such a powerful calculator can couple strongly to the type of mathematical reasoning students employ. It does not merely offer a convenient way to perform the computations students would have otherwise wanted to do by hand. This paper presents examples from the work of upper level physics majors where Mathematica plays an active role in focusing and sustaining their thought around calculation. These students still engage in powerful mathematical reasoning while they calculate but struggle because of the narrowed breadth of their thinking. Their reasoning is drawn into local attractors where they look to calculation schemes to resolve questions instead of, for example, mapping the mathematics to the physical system at hand. We model the influence of Mathematica as an integral part of the constant feedback that occurs in how students frame, and hence focus, their work