Solving algebra problems step by step with wxMaxima
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Help
The usual F1 opens a help window with the contents on three tabs, Contents , Index , and Search . Be warned that if you don't know what you're looking for, you can easily get lost in details. Referring to the manual [6] from time to time is certainly recommended.
If you remember the name of a command or what it starts with but not how you can invoke it, the Show all button on the Index tab can help. You then browse through the index and click the entry when you find it, which opens a detailed description of the command.
Conclusion
wxMaxima is a powerful CAS with few operating hitches. If any, they're mainly in the vector computation domain. This open source program provides high school students with everything they need. Additionally, the program is free and platform independent for Windows, Mac, and Linux computers.
The ability to format files for text input means that you can deliver homework or assignments in a printed form, which is usually sufficient for the classroom, provided the work involves only solving basic math problems.
The extensive documentation and many Internet forums provide assistance with problems that the built-in help cannot solve.
Infos
- Macsyma project: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macsyma
- Maxima: http://maxima.sourceforge.net
- Maxima as CAS: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxima_(software)
- wxMaxima: http://andrejv.github.com/wxmaxima/
- Introduction to Maxima: http://math.stanford.edu/~paquin/MaximaBook.pdf
- Maxima manual: http://maxima.sourceforge.net/docs/manual/maxima.pdf
- Sample curve sketching exercise: http://crillovich.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/kurvendiskussion_bsp.pdf (in German)
- Download the WXM files used in this article: ftp://ftp.linux-magazine.com/pub/listings/ubuntu-user.com/24
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