The Beginner's Guide to MATHEMATICA ®, Version 4

by Jerry Glynn , Theodore Gray

• ISBN13: 9780521777698
• ISBN10: 0521777690
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-01-13
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

This update of Jerry Glynn and Theodore Gray’s hugely successful textbook covers not only the basic Mathematica features, but also the new features of Mathematica Version 4. The book teaches new Mathematica users some of the important basics of the latest release of this powerful software tool: using the typesetting features, programming palettes, defining functions, creating graphs and notebooks, and applying useful problem solving techniques. Using their skills as Mathematica experts and teachers, the authors provide a brisk but careful tutorial for the Mathematica novice. From the fundamentals of installing and running Mathematica on your computer, through to tips on how to get the most from the advanced programming features, the presentation maintains its concise and knowledgeable tone, providing indexes for both concepts and Mathematica function names. This book will be a valuable tool for both students and individual Mathematica users.

Table of Contents

Preface	1	(1)
Part 1: The Basics
What do I need to make Mathematica work on my computer?	2	(1)
Can I read the rest of this book without reading this chapter?	3	(2)
Why is Mathematica split into a front end and a kernel?	5	(3)
How do I get the electronic version of this book?	8	(2)
What's the difference between numerical and symbolic calculation?	10	(3)
How do I ask Mathematica for help?	13	(2)
How do I define constants and functions?	15	(3)
How do I share notebooks with those who have different brands of computers?	18	(2)
Part 2: For Users of Older Versions of Mathematica
What was new in V3?	20	(4)
So, what's new in V4?	24	(3)
How do I use my old notebooks in V4?	27	(3)
I really liked <insert your favorite feature> in V2! How do I get it in V4?	30	(3)
Part 3: Speaking to Mathematica
Can I use Mathematica without learning any new notation?	33	(2)
What do characters like ^, (, [, {, *, %, etc., mean in Mathematica?	35	(2)
What are some widely used forms in Mathematica?	37	(3)
How do I enter without using the keyboard?	40	(3)
What is the best way to enter ?	43	(3)
How do I enter as quickly as possible?	46	(3)
What is the correct philosophy of notation?	49	(3)
Part 4: Lists, Tables, Vectors, and Matrices
What are lists? What can I do with them?	52	(5)
How do I make a table of values?	57	(2)
How do I manipulate vectors and matrices?	59	(9)
How do I pick out rows, columns, and submatrices?	68	(2)
Part 5: Numerical Calculations
What's the difference between 2 and 2.0?	70	(4)
How does Mathematica handle roundoff error?	74	(12)
Can Mathematica do industrial-strength numerics?	86	(4)
Part 6: Algebra
How do I manipulate polynomials?	90	(3)
How do I solve equations?	93	(9)
Part 7: Packages
What is a package? How do I load one?	102	(1)
The package didn't load! Why?	103	(2)
What packages are available?	105	(4)
Part 8: Two-Dimensional Plotting
How do I plot a function in two dimensions?	109	(8)
How do I plot a parametric equation in two dimensions?	117	(2)
How do I plot in polar coordinates?	119	(2)
How do I plot implicitly-defined functions?	121	(4)
How do I show the area between curves?	125	(3)
How do I plot complex numbers?	128	(4)
Part 9: Three-Dimensional Plotting
How do I plot a function in three dimensions?	132	(9)
How do I plot a parametric equation in three dimensions?	141	(5)
How do I plot 3-D implicitly-defined functions?	146	(3)
How do I plot in cylindrical and spherical coordinates?	149	(4)
Part 10: Other Graphics, and Sounds
How do I make contour and density plots?	153	(4)
How do I plot a list of values?	157	(6)
How do I make sounds?	163	(6)
How do I make animations?	169	(7)
How do I do image manipulation in Mathematica?	176	(34)
Part 11: Calculus
How do I integrate and differentiate?	210	(8)
How do I find limits?	218	(3)
How do I solve differential equations?	221	(3)
Part 12: Text and Document Features in Mathematica
How do I use Mathematica as a word processor?	224	(9)
How do I use Mathematica as an outliner?	233	(4)
I never learned to spell. Can you help me?	237	(7)
How do I use style sheets to see my notebooks in new ways?	244	(4)
Why does my notebook look different printed than on screen?	248	(3)
What exactly are styles, style sheets, and style environments?	251	(10)
How do I use that darn Option Inspector anyway?	261	(5)
Part 13: Programming
How do I program in Mathematica?	266	(8)
Should anyone ever use a For loop?	274	(4)
How do I use Mathematica's pattern matcher?	278	(11)
Is Mathematica Year-2000 compatible?	289	(4)
The problem Prof. Eugene Nichols goes around showing people	293	(16)
Part 14: Programming the Front End
How do I make hyperlinks in and between notebooks?	309	(5)
Is Mathematica ``scriptable''?	314	(4)
What commands can I use to control the Mathematica front end?	318	(34)
What options can I use to control the Mathematica front end?	352	(1)
How do I use file names in programs?	353	(4)
Part 15: Mathematics and Science Education
I'd rather not see complex numbers. Can you help me?	357	(3)
The Units Calculator	360	(4)
Surfaces of Revolution	364	(9)
Can Mathematica show me the steps?	373	(6)
Will it rot my students' brains if they use Mathematica?	379	(5)
Will it rot my students' brains if they use other educational software?	384	(8)
Will my students spend more time learning Mathematica than mathematics?	392	(3)
Can Mathematica make math relevant to my students?	395	(4)
Part 16: Mathematica and the Internet
How do I make hyperlinks to the Web?	399	(1)
Does this book have a Home Page?	400	(1)
What Mathematica resources are available on the World Wide Web?	401	(1)
Part 17: Statistics and Data Analysis
How do I do statistics?	402	(6)
How do I fit a curve to data?	408	(4)
How do I import data into Mathematica?	412	(7)
How do I export data from Mathematica?	419	(4)
References	423	(1)
Index (unprofessional)	424