Mathematical Software Evaluation Report: Mathcad Plus 6.0 versus Mathematica 3.0

Abstract

In early 1997, the Department of Mathematical Sciences at the United States Air Force Academy conducted an evaluation to determine whether to migrate from Mathematica 2.2 to Mathematica 3.0 or to switch to Mathcad Plus 6.0 which was being successfully used by the Department of Physics. A 38 members team evaluated the suitability of both software packages in terms of user friendliness and functionality using sample problems taken from Precalculus, Calculus I, II, and III, Differential Equations, and Engineering Mathematics as well as some advanced physics courses. This technical report is a comprehensive documentation of this evaluation describing the methodology, findings, and conclusions of this evaluation. In the end, the Department of Mathematical Sciences choose to migrate to Mathematica 3.0 due primarily to superior functionality, while the Department of Physics found that Mathcad Plus 6.0 met all of their needs and was easier to use by their students.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Nov 10, 1997
Accession Number
ADA337847

Entities

People

  • Carl Crockett
  • Matthew. G. Mcharg
  • Paul J. Simonich
  • Steven M. Hadfield
  • William J. Mandeville

Organizations

  • United States Air Force Academy

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • C4I
  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Cartesian Coordinates
  • Computer Programs
  • Data Analysis
  • Differential Equations
  • Engineering
  • Equations
  • Mathematical Programming
  • Mathematics
  • Operating Systems
  • Students
  • Test And Evaluation
  • Three Dimensional
  • United States
  • United States Air Force Academy
  • Waveforms
  • Word Processors

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  • STEM Education
  • Software Engineering.
  • Technical Research and Report Writing.