Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site kontron.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!bellcore!decvax!decwrl!nsc!voder!kontron!brad
From: brad@kontron.UUCP (Brad Yearwood)
Newsgroups: net.math.symbolic
Subject: Wanted: info. on "affordable" symbolic math systems
Message-ID: <538@kontron.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 25-Feb-86 23:52:53 EST
Article-I.D.: kontron.538
Posted: Tue Feb 25 23:52:53 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 28-Feb-86 21:27:50 EST
Distribution: net
Organization: Kontron Electronics, Irvine, CA
Lines: 34

Are there symbolic math packages that are available at a cost that
would be within reason for an individual who wants to experiment
and perhaps explore the inner workings?

I am aware of the existence of MAPLE and REDUCE, but do not know
who to contact about distribution information and costs.

MACSYMA seems nearly hopeless - even the DOE-MACSYMA version, when
obtained through NESC, seems to require about $2100 of initial fees.
Does anyone know of a legitimate DOE-MACSYMA leakage that harmlessly
bypasses the NESC extravagance?

I would appreciate pointers to distribution information on MAPLE
and REDUCE, and any clues about DOE-MACSYMA.

Another question - is anyone aware of work on systems which can explain
their manipulations in terms of human-recognized principles?  Example:

  I applied the Grundleblatt Expansion to get:

    (immense expression)

  then applied Woodnymph's Rule to simplify to:

    (smaller expression)

  which trivial algebra simplifies to:

    1/x.


Brad Yearwood
Kontron Electronics  {voder, pyramid, loral}!kontron!brad
Mountain View, CA