Mathematica
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Mathematica is a powerful tool to carry out and present the results of numeric, symbolic and graphical calculations. The applications of Mathematica span all areas of science, technology, and business
where quantitative methods are used.
Mathematica v5.1 is currently installed on the desktops at the Student Microcomputer Facility. This version is also
available on the UTS time sharing server running Solaris and on the WTS Windows terminal server. Mathematica is a product of
Wolfram Research, Inc.
100 Trade Center Drive
Champaign, IL 61820-7237
217-398-0747
They may also be reached at info@wolfram.com
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- On a Macintosh
Mathematica is started either by double-clicking on the Mathematica icon, or by double-clicking on a Mathematica notebook. Mathematica documents are called notebooks. Double-clicking on the Mathematica
executable launches Mathematica with an empty notebook, double-clicking on a Mathematica notebook launches Mathematica with the contents of that notebook.
- On a PC running Microsoft Windows
Mathematica is started by double clicking on the Mathematica icon. If you want to load a previously saved notebook you will have to select the Open/Import... option from the File menu. This will
pop up a Windows file selection box which you can use to find and open your file.
- On a Unix Machine
The Mathematica executables are in the directory /usr/local/mathematica/bin. This directory is not in the default command search path. You can add this directory manually to your
path, with:
setenv PATH /usr/local/mathematica/bin:$PATH
if you are using the C-shell, or, if you are using the Bourne shell use:
PATH=/usr/local/mathematica/bin:$PATH ; export PATH
The command above can be put at the end of your .cshrc (or .profile) so that it will be executed automatically for you. It is important that you issue this command only
after you have set your environment variables such as your PATH and MANPATH.
If you are using the X windowing system, then, after running the the above command, set the DISPLAY environment variable to point to your workstation or X-terminal with:
setenv DISPLAY your local machine name:0
if you are using the C-shell, or, if you are using the Bourne shell use:
DISPLAY=your local machine name:0; export DISPLAY
To start the X version of Mathematica type:
mathematica
To start the text based version of Mathematica type:
math
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Saving your work
The File pull-down menu contains three options for saving Mathematica notebooks.
- Save
- writes the new notebook over the previous version.
- Save As...
- brings up a file dialog box allowing you to select a new directory (or folder) and name for your notebook.
- Save As Special
- allows the saving of Mathematica notebooks in a variety of formats. Selecting this option brings up the file format submenu which lists the formats in which you can save your work.
Remember that any files you wish to save when you leave a computer at the SMF must be loaded onto your own media (e.g., a USB memory stick or writeable CD) and taken with you. If you are unsure about how to copy a file to external media, see the SMF proctors for help.
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Reloading your saved work
The File pull-down menu has several options for loading files into Mathematica
- Open...
- brings up a File Browser that is used to locate and load notebooks.
- Open Special...
- is used to read text into the front end. Choosing this option brings up the Open Special dialog box. In this box select options telling Mathematica how to interpret the file, then click OK.
The Open Special dialog box will close and a File Browser will appear. Select and open your file.
- Import...
- Allows the importing of files into Mathematica. Choosing this option brings up a File Browser. Select the file to be imported into Mathematica.
Printing your work
As with most features described here, the print commands are located in the File pull-down menu.
- Printing Settings
- This is actually another menu that contains:
- Page Setup
- Printing Options
- Headers and Footers
- Print...
- brings up a Print dialog box allowing the selection of the range of pages to print, the magnification, page size, and where (printer of file) to send the output. Note: under the Microsoft Windows
version of Mathematica this is merged with the Print Selection... option.
- Print Selection...
- prints the currently selected text or graphic. Under the Microsoft Windows version, use the Print option. If a graphic object is selected, it can be resized before printing by dragging the black
boxes, or handles, along the frame that is drawn around the graphic.
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- Built-in Help
Mathematica is an extensive program and has several sources of online help. The most useful of these for a new user are:
- The Help menu
| Getting Started - |
Gives a short introduction to some of the features of Mathematica, as well as a few sample calculations. |
| Function Browser - |
Brings up a large dialog box with a list of general topics in the upper left corner. Select one of these topics, and then Mathematica will display a list of related (sub)
topics in the next window. Once one of these is chosen, Mathematica will display a list of functions. Clicking on one of these functions causes Mathematica to display a brief explanation
of the function, a list of options to the function an example of its use. |
| Why the Beep? - |
Brings up a box containing an short explanation of the last error Mathematica encountered. |
- The ? operator - The ? operator is used to get information about any Mathematica object. The ? must be the first character on the line. A double question mark will provide more detailed
information. For example ?Plot will return a description of the Plot function and its arguments. ??Plot will return the same description along with some additional
information including a list of optional arguments used to create more sophisticated plots. The * character is used as a wildcard so that ?Plot* will list all the objects in Mathematica
whose names start with Plot.
- Manuals, Guides, Books
There are some manuals for Mathematica available in the SMF. If you need additional reference material search the UT Library Online Catalog with the keyword "mathematica".
- Usage Notes
Mathematical Software on ITS Timesharing servers
- More on Graphics
The page Fundamentals of Mathematica Graphics provides more information on using graphics in Mathematica.
- Frequently Asked Questions (at UT Austin)
Mathematica FAQs
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These are pointers to information on the Internet that you may find helpful. Be aware, though, that because these resources are maintained at remote sites, the information may not always apply
to you, and may not always be available.
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- Getting help in the SMF
The SMF Proctors can help you with the basics of running an application: launching it, opening and saving files, printing, and quitting the application. To call a proctor to your station, use
the "Help Request" application on the desktop.
- Getting help from the Applications Consultants
Consulting services are provided for a wide range of applications by electronic mail, telephone, and office visits. For an overview of the consulting services available to you, see Division of Statistics and Scientific Computation's Consulting Services. See, in particular, the section titled "Whom We Can Help" at the free consulting page for policies related to homework and class assignments.
Assistance for Mathematica is provided by SSC mathematical support, who you can reach by electronic mail at:
math@ssc.utexas.edu
Please include a description of the problem including any particular Mathematica commands you might be trying to use, a log of the relevant parts of your Mathematica session and any data you might
be importing into Mathematica. Also if they are available include a campus or other local telephone number where a consultant can reach you.
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