Documentation
Mathematica 6.0.1 for Windows XP and Vista
Documentation table of contents.
Introduction
Mathematica is a mathematical application package that supports symbolic and numeric computations, as well as graphics. You can use it interactively by issuing commands at a simple command line prompt, or as a scientific programming language.
This version of Mathematica combines both the Kernel and Notebook necessary to run the software into one installation package for Windows operating systems.
Note
The Installation steps for Mathematica 6 for Windows XP are identical.
Installing Mathematica
- Insert the Mathematica 6 CD into your CD drive. The following screen should appear automatically. If it does not, click start, My Computer, then double-click on the Mathematica icon.
- Click the image next to Install Mathematica to a hard disk.
- Please wait while the InstallShiled Wizard prepares the installation.
- Select where you want Mathematica 6 installed on your computer, then click Install. The default location is recommended.
- Please wait while Mathematica installs on your computer.
- When all necessary files have been copied, the following screen will appear. You will need to enter your Mathematica password before you can begin using the software. If you already have a password, click Enter Password. Otherwise, click Continue.
- Enter your name, University at Buffalo as your Organization, and the License Number provided to you with your copy of Mathematica (L3009-0512), then click OK.
- You will need a password from Wolfram Reasearch in order to continue installing your copy of Mathematica. To do this, you will need to fill out an online registration form that automatically replies to the email address you give during registration. To begin the online registration process, click the Web button next to the Password field. Follow all on-screen instructions to register your copy of Mathematica, then check your email for a message that lists your License Number, Math ID, and Password. Enter this password into the Password field, then click OK. The password is the last item in the line of data identified in the message as your mathpass file.
- A browser window will open and redirect you to the Wolfram Research Registration page. Select I want to register a product and generate a password, and click Continue.
- Select version 6.0.1 as the version you want to register. Click Continue.
- Complete the User Information fields, then click Continue.
- You have successfully registered your copy of Mathematica. Your new password will be sent to the email address you provided in User Information.
- Go back to the Mathematica 6 window. Enter the password that was emailed to you in the password field, then click OK. You can now use your copy of Mathematica 6.
Mathematica Notebook
Note
The Mathematica Kernel does not need to be seperately installed in Windows as it does in UNIX. The Mathematica Kernel will run in the background any time you use Mathematica in Notebook format.
A Mathematica notebook is a complete interactive document that can contain ordinary text, hyperlinks, and graphics, as well as Mathematica input and output. A notebook file is platform independent and can be used on any computer system that supports Mathematica. Within a notebook, you have access to full online documentation, including The Mathematica Book. To take advantage of the notebook front end in an operating system other than Windows, you must be using an environment that supports the graphical user interface (GUI).
Notebook and Cells
Mathematica documents are called notebooks. The basic unit in a notebook is called a cell, which is analogous to a paragraph in ordinary text. Each cell can contain explanatory text, mathematical formulas, or graphics, but no combinations of these items.
The cell bracket is a small rectangular-shaped object at the right edge of the notebook window. A cell bracket indicates the extent of a cell. As you enter more lines of text in a cell, the cell bracket will expand.
Each cell appears similar to the example below:
You can select a whole cell by clicking on the cell bracket, enabling you to move it to other parts of your notebook, or to other notebooks. You can also group cells together into sections or chapters to help organize your calculations and routines.
The format of a cell is determined by its style. Styles include input, output, text, title, subtitle, section, subsection, etc. By default, new cells are input cells.
To insert text into a cell, click once in the blank section of the notebook to get a cell insertion bar, choose Text from the Style submenu of the Format menu, and start typing.
To change the style of an existing cell, select the cell by clicking on its bracket, and choose the desired style from the Style submenu of the Format menu.
For more information on the notebook and cell, please refer to the online help.
Command Syntax
Because Mathematica input is case-sensitive, it must be exact. Functions begin with capital letters. They can also contain uppercase letters within the function name itself. Input is also sensitive to spaces. In the absence of an operator, a blank space denotes multiplication.
Mathematica accepts input at its prompt (In[x]:=
where x is the input statement
number). The number is identified with a specific input and output pair,
which can be retrieved later by the symbol %
and the number. The following example demonstrates how Mathematica performs
numeric calculations:
In[1]:= 49-46^4*4
Out[1]:= -17909775
In[2]:= (23+430*(457/3)^2)/2
Out[2]:=89805277/18
In the second output, the result is given as a rational number. Mathematica
converts its output to real numbers with the addition of //N
to the input. For example:
In[3]:= %2 //N
Out[3]:= 4.9819 10^6
The symbol % and the number 2 recall the second output and re-evaluate it with the addition of //N.
Palettes
Palettes allow you to input special characters and mathematical notations. They are like extensions to your keyboard. Some palettes also do evaluations. If the Basic Input palette is not open, you can open it from the Palettes submenu of the the File menu.
Here is an example of buttons from the Basic Input palette.
To use a button from the palette — in this case, the integral button — click once in the blank section of the notebook, and then click the integral button on the palette. This will highlight the first placeholder box, indicating the area in which text will be placed. Fill in the integrand by entering Tan[x]. Press the Tab key to move to the next box and fill in the variable of integration x. Press Shift and Return simultaneously to have Mathematica evaluate the integral.
Additional Information
Choosing Help from the Help menu gives you access to Mathematica's online documentation, including Built-in Functions, Add-Ons, The Mathematica Book, Getting Started, Demos, Other Information, and the Master Index.
For a complete description of Mathematica, please
refer to the following books, published by Wolfram Research:
Getting Started with Mathematica Under UNIX and X
The Mathematica Book
Mathematica Standard Add-On Packages
You can also access these books online from the Help menu within a notebook.