Mathematica

For other uses, see Mathematica (disambiguation).
Mathematica

Mathematica 8.0.0 GNU/Linux frontend
Developer(s) Wolfram Research
Initial release June 23, 1988[1]
Stable release 10.1 (March 30, 2015) [±]
Preview release Non [±]
Written in Wolfram Language,[2] C/C++, Java and Mathematica[3]
Platform Cross-platform (list)
Available in English, Chinese and Japanese.
Type Computer algebra, numerical computations, Information visualization, statistics, user interface creation
License Proprietary
Website www.wolfram.com/mathematica/

Mathematica is a computational software program used in many scientific, engineering, mathematical and computing fields, based on symbolic mathematics. It was conceived by Stephen Wolfram and is developed by Wolfram Research of Champaign, Illinois.[4][5] The Wolfram Language is the programming language used in Mathematica.[6]

Features

Dini's surface plotted with adjustable parameters

Features of Mathematica include:[7]

Interface

Mathematica is split into two parts, the kernel and the front end. The kernel interprets expressions (Mathematica code) and returns result expressions.

The front end, designed by Theodore Gray, provides a GUI, which allows the creation and editing of Notebook documents containing program code with prettyprinting, formatted text together with results including typeset mathematics, graphics, GUI components, tables, and sounds. All contents and formatting can be generated algorithmically or interactively edited. Most standard word processing capabilities are supported. It includes a spell-checker but does not spell check automatically as you type.

Documents can be structured using a hierarchy of cells, which allow for outlining and sectioning of a document and support automatic numbering index creation. Documents can be presented in a slideshow environment for presentations. Notebooks and their contents are represented as Mathematica expressions that can be created, modified or analysed by Mathematica programs. This allows conversion to other formats such as TeX or XML.

The front end includes development tools such as a debugger, input completion and automatic syntax coloring.

Among the alternative front ends is the Wolfram Workbench, an Eclipse based IDE, introduced in 2006. It provides project-based code development tools for Mathematica, including revision management, debugging, profiling, and testing.[12] The Mathematica Kernel also includes a command line front end.[13] Other interfaces include JMath,[14] based on GNU readline and MASH[15] which runs self-contained Mathematica programs (with arguments) from the UNIX command line.

Wolfram Research has published a series of hands-on starter webcasts that introduce the user interface and the engine.[16]

High-performance computing

In recent years, the capabilities for high-performance computing have been extended with the introduction of packed arrays (version 4, 1999)[17] and sparse matrices (version 5, 2003),[18] and by adopting the GNU Multi-Precision Library to evaluate high-precision arithmetic.

Version 5.2 (2005) added automatic multi-threading when computations are performed on multi-core computers.[19] This release included CPU specific optimized libraries. In addition Mathematica is supported by third party specialist acceleration hardware such as ClearSpeed.[20]

In 2002, gridMathematica was introduced to allow user level parallel programming on heterogeneous clusters and multiprocessor systems [21] and in 2008 parallel computing technology was included in all Mathematica licenses including support for grid technology such as Windows HPC Server 2008, Microsoft Compute Cluster Server and Sun Grid.

Support for CUDA and OpenCL GPU hardware was added in 2010. Also, since version 8 it can generate C code, which is automatically compiled by a system C compiler, such as the Intel C++ Compiler or Visual Studio 2010.

Deployment

There are several ways to deploy applications written in Mathematica:

Connections with other applications

Communication with other applications occurs through a protocol called MathLink. It allows communication between the Mathematica kernel and front-end, and also provides a general interface between the kernel and other applications. Wolfram Research freely distributes a developer kit for linking applications written in the C programming language to the Mathematica kernel through MathLink.[24] Using J/Link.,[25] a Java program can ask Mathematica to perform computations; likewise, a Mathematica program can load Java classes, manipulate Java objects and perform method calls. Similar functionality is achieved with .NET /Link,[26] but with .NET programs instead of Java programs. Other languages that connect to Mathematica include Haskell,[27] AppleScript,[28] Racket,[29] Visual Basic,[30] Python[31][32] and Clojure.[33]

Links are available to many specialized mathematical software packages including OpenOffice.org Calc,[34] Microsoft Excel,[35] MATLAB,[36][37][38] R,[39] Sage,[40][41] SINGULAR,[42] Wolfram SystemModeler, and Origin.[43] Mathematical equations can be exchanged with other computational or typesetting software via MathML.

Communication with SQL databases is achieved through built-in support for JDBC.[44] Mathematica can also install web services from a WSDL description.[45][46] It can access HDFS data via Hadoop.[47]

Mathematica can capture real-time data via a link to LabVIEW,[48] from financial data feeds[49] and directly from hardware devices via GPIB (IEEE 488),[50] USB[51] and serial interfaces.[52] It automatically detects and reads from HID devices.

Computable data

A stream plot of live weather data

Mathematica includes collections of curated data provided for use in computations. Mathematica is also integrated with Wolfram Alpha, an online service which provides additional data, some of which is kept updated in real time. Some of the data sets include astronomical, chemical, geopolitical, language, biomedical and weather data, in addition to mathematical data (such as knots and polyhedra).[53]

Design

Wolfram Research provides documents[54] listing the algorithms used to implement the functions in Mathematica.

Related products

Products from Wolfram Research associated with Mathematica include the following:[55]

Licensing and platform availability

Mathematica is proprietary software licensed at a range of prices for commercial, educational, and other uses.[67]

Mathematica 10 is supported on various versions of Microsoft Windows (Vista, 7 and 8), Apple's OS X, Linux, Raspbian and as an online service.[68] All platforms are supported with 64-bit implementations. [69] Mathematica prior to version 10 for OS X required Java SE 6 which is a deprecated component of Mavericks. Earlier versions of Mathematica up to 6.0.3 supported other operating systems, including Solaris, AIX, Convex, HP-UX, IRIX, MS-DOS, NeXTSTEP, OS/2, Ultrix and Windows Me.[70]

Version history

Mathematica built on the ideas in Cole and Wolfram's earlier Symbolic Manipulation Program (SMP).[71][72] The name of the program “Mathematica” was suggested to Stephen Wolfram by Apple co-founder Steve Jobs although Stephen Wolfram had thought about it earlier and rejected it.[73]

Wolfram Research has released the following versions of Mathematica:[74]

  • Mathematica 1.0 (June 23, 1988)[75][76][77][78]
  • Mathematica 1.1 (October 31, 1988)
  • Mathematica 1.2 (August 1, 1989)[79][78]
  • Mathematica 2.0 (January 15, 1991)[80][78]
  • Mathematica 2.1 (June 15, 1992)[78][24]
  • Mathematica 2.2 (June 1, 1993)[78][81]
  • Mathematica 3.0 (September 3, 1996)[82]
  • Mathematica 4.0 (May 19, 1999)[78][83]
  • Mathematica 4.1 (November 2, 2000)[78]
  • Mathematica 4.2 (November 1, 2002)[78]
  • Mathematica 5.0 (June 12, 2003)[78][84]
  • Mathematica 5.1 (October 25, 2004)[78][85]
  • Mathematica 5.2 (June 20, 2005)[78][86]
  • Mathematica 6.0 (May 1, 2007)[87][88]
  • Mathematica 7.0 (November 18, 2008)[89]
  • Mathematica 8.0 (November 15, 2010)
  • Mathematica 8.0.1 (March 7, 2011)
  • Mathematica 8.0.4 (October 24, 2011)
  • Mathematica 9.0 (November 28, 2012)
  • Mathematica 9.0.1 (January 30, 2013)
  • Mathematica 10.0 (July 9, 2014)
  • Mathematica 10.0.1 (September 17, 2014)
  • Mathematica 10.0.2 (December 10, 2014)
  • Mathematica 10.1 (March 30, 2015)[90]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Wolfram, Stephen (23 Jun 2008), Mathematica Turns 20 Today, Wolfram, retrieved 16 May 2012
  2. ↑ Celebrating Mathematica’s First Quarter Century
  3. ↑ The Software Engineering of Mathematica—Wolfram Mathematica 9 Documentation. Reference.wolfram.com. Retrieved on 2015-03-23.
  4. ↑ Stephen Wolfram: Simple Solutions; The iconoclastic physicist's Mathematica software nails complex puzzles, BusinessWeek, October 3, 2005.
  5. ↑ Wolfram Research Contact Info
  6. ↑ Slate's article Stephen Wolfram's New Programming Language: He Can Make The World Computable, March 6, 2014. Retrieved on 2014-05-14.
  7. ↑ Mathematica documentation
  8. ↑ Review: Mathematica 7. Technical computing powerhouse gets more oomph Macworld, Jan 2009
  9. ↑ Mathematica 6 Labs Review Cadalyst Feb 1, 2008
  10. ↑ The Free-Form Linguistics Revolution in Mathematica
  11. ↑ Free-Form Linguistic Input: New in Mathematica 8
  12. ↑ MacWorld review of Wolfram Workbench
  13. ↑ Using a Text-Based Interface documentation at wolfram.com
  14. ↑ JMath website
  15. ↑ MASH website
  16. ↑ Cliff Hastings. "Wolfram Screencast & Video Gallery: Hands-on Start to Mathematica". wolfram.com. Retrieved 2014-12-31.
  17. ↑ Math software packs new power; new programs automate such tedious processes as solving nonlinear differential equations and converting units by Agnes Shanley, Chemical Engineering, March 1, 2002.
  18. ↑ Mathematica 5.1: additional features make software well-suited for operations research professionals by ManMohan S. Sodhi, OR/MS Today, December 1, 2004.
  19. ↑ The 21st annual Editors' Choice Awards, Macworld, February 1, 2006.
  20. ↑ ClearSpeed Advance(TM) Accelerator Boards Certified by Wolfram Research; Math Coprocessors Enable Mathematica Users to Quadruple Performance.
  21. ↑ gridMathematica offers parallel computing solution by Dennis Sellers, MacWorld, November 20, 2002.
  22. ↑ Mathematica Player Pro - new Application Delivery System for Mathematica www.gizmag.com
  23. ↑ Computable Document Format for Interactive Content
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 New Mathematica: faster, leaner, linkable and QuickTime-compatible: MathLink kit allows ties to other apps. (Wolfram Research Inc. ships Mathematica 2.1, new QuickTime-compatible version of Mathematica software) by Daniel Todd, MacWeek, June 15, 1992.
  25. ↑ Mathematica 4.2 by Charles Seiter, Macworld, November 1, 2002.
  26. ↑ .NET/Link: .NET/Link is a toolkit that integrates Mathematica and the Microsoft .NET Framework.
  27. ↑ Haskell packages
  28. ↑ Unisoftware plus
  29. ↑ MrMathematica website
  30. ↑ Mathematica for ActivX
  31. ↑ Pythonika MathLink module for Python
  32. ↑ PYML (Python Mathematica interface)
  33. ↑ "Clojuratica - Home". Clojuratica.weebly.com. Retrieved 2013-08-16.
  34. ↑ CalcLink Lauschke Consulting
  35. ↑ Mathematica Link for Excel
  36. ↑ MATLink
  37. ↑ Mathematica Toolbox for Matlab
  38. ↑ Mathsource item #618 for calling MATLAB from Mathematica Roger Germundsson from Wolfram Research
  39. ↑ RLink Mathematica Documentation
  40. ↑ Calling Sage from Mathematica
  41. ↑ A Mathematica notebook to call Sage from Mathematica.
  42. ↑ Manuel Kauers and Viktor Levandovskyy of the Johannes Kepler University in Austria
  43. ↑ * Interface Links Origin And Mathematica Software Electronic Design
  44. ↑ Mathematica 5.1 Available , Database Journal, Jan 3, 2005.
  45. ↑ Mathematical Web Services: W3C Note 1 August 2003
  46. ↑ Introduction to Web Services, Mathematica Web Services Tutorial
  47. ↑ HadoopLink GitHub Project
  48. ↑ Mathematica Link to Labview BetterView Consulting
  49. ↑ DDFLink Lauschke Consulting
  50. ↑ GITM SourceForge. Note that the GITM project currently (as of 2014-08-03) has no downloadable artefacts and appears to be inactive so GPIB support for Mathematica may not actually exist.
  51. ↑ BTopTools A commercial interface to USB devices
  52. ↑ Interfacing Hardware with Mathematica
  53. ↑ "Scientific and Technical Data", Mathematic Guide, Wolfram Research, retrieved 16 May 2012
  54. ↑ "Wolfram Language & System Documentation Center – Some Notes on Internal Implementation". Wolfram Research.
  55. ↑ "Wolfram Products & Services". Wolfram Research.
  56. ↑ "All Mathematica Applications". Wolfram Research.
  57. ↑ "What is Wolfram|Alpha?". Wolfram Research.
  58. ↑ "Wolfram Knowledgebase™". Wolfram Research.
  59. ↑ "Wolfram Finance Platform™". Wolfram Research.
  60. ↑ "WolframWorkbench™2". Wolfram Research.
  61. ↑ "Wolfram Programming Cloud™". Wolfram Research.
  62. ↑ "Wolfram Cloud™". Wolfram Research.
  63. ↑ "Wolfram for Education". Wolfram Research.
  64. ↑ "Wolfram Data Framework™ (WDF)". Wolfram Research.
  65. ↑ "Wolfram Discovery Platform™". Wolfram Research.
  66. ↑ "Wolfram Data Science Platform™". Wolfram Research.
  67. ↑ Wolfram Mathematica License Agreement
  68. ↑ Raspberry Pi Includes Mathematica for Free The Verge
  69. ↑ Supported platforms list
  70. ↑ Mathematica 6 Platform Availability
  71. ↑ Math, the universe, and Stephen: the author of Mathematica created a whirlwind of scientific controversy this year when, after more than 10 years of research, he published his treatise on the ability of simple structures to create unpredictable complex patterns. (2002 Scientist Of The Year).(Stephen Wolfram) by Tim Studt, R&D, November 1 , 2002.
  72. ↑ A Top Scientist's Latest: Math Software by Andrew Pollack, The New York Times, June 24, 1988.
  73. ↑ Wolfram, Stephen (6 Oct 2011), STEVE JOBS: A FEW MEMORIES, Wolfram Alpha, retrieved 16 May 2012
  74. ↑ Quick Revision History of Mathematica
  75. ↑ Mathematica: The Scrapbook, Wolfram, retrieved 16 May 2012
  76. ↑ Mathematica Journal, Volume 9, Issue 1
  77. ↑ Supercomputer Pictures Solve the Once Insoluble, John Markoff, October 30, 1988.
  78. ↑ 78.0 78.1 78.2 78.3 78.4 78.5 78.6 78.7 78.8 78.9 78.10 Nasser M. Abbasi. "A little bit of Mathematica history".
  79. ↑ Mathematica 1.2 adds new graphics options: upgrade also promises concurrent operations by Elinor Craig, MacWeek, July 25, 1989.
  80. ↑ Mathematica + 283 functions = Mathematica 2.0 by Raines Cohen, MacWeek, January 15, 1991.
  81. ↑ New version of Mathematica, Mechanical Engineering, June 1, 1993.
  82. ↑ "Wolfram News Archive". Wolfram.com. Retrieved 2013-08-16.
  83. ↑ Mathematica 4.0 by Charles Seiters, Macworld, October 1, 1999.
  84. ↑ Mathematica 5.0 Adds Up: Exactly 15 years after Mathematica's initial release, Wolfram Research has released Mathematica , PC Magazine, September 3, 2003.
  85. ↑ Mathematica 5.1's Web Services Add Up; Mathematica 5.1 delivers improvements over Version 5.0 that are vastly out of proportion for a .1 upgrade. by Peter Coffee, eWeek, December 6, 2004.
  86. ↑ Mathematica hits 64-bit, MacWorld UK, July 13, 2005.
  87. ↑ Today, Mathematica is reinvented - Blog by Stephen Wolfram
  88. ↑ Mathematica 6: Felix Grant finds that version 6 of Wolfram Research's symbolic mathematical software really does live up to its expectations. Scientific Computing, 2007.
  89. ↑ Mathematica 7.0 Released Today! - Blog by Stephen Wolfram
  90. ↑ http://company.wolfram.com/news/2015/mathematica-10-1-is-now-available/

External links