Applications of Computer Algebra

Book excerpt: Today, certain computer software systems exist which surpass the computational ability of researchers when their mathematical techniques are applied to many areas of science and engineering. These computer systems can perform a large portion of the calculations seen in mathematical analysis. Despite this massive power, thousands of people use these systems as a routine resource for everyday calculations. These software programs are commonly called "Computer Algebra" systems. They have names such as MACSYMA, MAPLE, muMATH, REDUCE and SMP. They are receiving credit as a computational aid with in creasing regularity in articles in the scientific and engineering literature. When most people think about computers and scientific research these days, they imagine a machine grinding away, processing numbers arithmetically. It is not generally realized that, for a number of years, computers have been performing non-numeric computations. This means, for example, that one inputs an equa tion and obtains a closed form analytic answer. It is these Computer Algebra systems, their capabilities, and applications which are the subject of the papers in this volume.