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Example of Maxima output Maxima is an open source computer algebra system. It has its origins in Macsyma in the late 1960s at MIT. Macsyma was the first of a new breed of computer algebra systems, leading the way for programs such as Maple, Matlab or Mathematica. Since 1998 the source code is released under GPL. A group of users and developers has formed to keep Maxima alive and kicking. Maxima itself is reasonably feature complete at this stage, with abilities such as symbolic integration, 2D and 3D plotting, as well as an ODE solver. You can also just use it as a calculator with arbitrary precision.


In Unix, you start Maxima by typing "maxima" at the command line. You quit it with 'quit();';
Number theory
expand((x+y)^6);
factor(x^6-1);
factor(123412341231234);
factor(2^(2^5)+1);
100!; 
bfloat(%pi);
block([fpprec:1000],bfloat(%pi));
cfdisrep([1,2,3,5,2]);
bfloat(%);
Programming
for a:-3 thru 26 step 7 do ldisplay(a);

s:0; for i:1 while i<=10 do s:s+i; done; s; 

fib[0]:0; fib[1]:1; fib[n]:=fib[n-1]+fib[n-2];
fib[20];
Plotting
plot2d(sin(x)/x,[x,-5,5]);
plot3d(sin(sqrt(x^2+y^2))/sqrt(x^2+y^2),[x,-12,12],[y,-12,12]);
plot3d([cos(y)*(10.0+6*cos(x)),sin(y)*(10.0+6*cos(x)),-6*sin(x)], 
       [x,0,2*%pi],[y,0,2*%pi],['grid,40,40]);
plot3d([5*cos(x)*(cos(x/2)*cos(y)+sin(x/2)*sin(2*y)+3.0)-10.0,
       -5*sin(x)*(cos(x/2)*cos(y)+sin(x/2)*sin(2*y)+3.0),
        5*(-sin(x/2)*cos(y)+cos(x/2)*sin(2*y))],
       [x,-%pi,%pi],[y,-%pi,%pi],['grid,40,40]);
plot2d(sec(x),[x,-2,2],[y,-20,20],[nticks,200]);
plot2d([parametric,cos(t),sin(t),[t,-%pi*2,%pi*2]]);
plot2d([x^3+2,[parametric,cos(t),sin(t),[t,-5,5]]], [x,-3,3]);
Differentiation and Integration
diff(sin(x^2));
'integrate(%E**sqrt(a*y),y,0,4);
integrate(%E**sqrt(a*y),y,0,4);
integrate(sin(x),x);
sum((1/2)^i,i,0,inf);
laplace(delta(T-A)*sin(B*T),T,S);
Limits
limit( (5*x+1)/(3*x-1),x,inf); 
Ordinary differential equations
depends(y,x);
diff(y,x)=(4-2*x)/(3*y^2-5);
ode2(%,y,x);
latex(%);   
Solving linear equation
linsolve( [3*x+4*y=7, 2*x+4*y=13], [x,y]);
eq1: x^2 + 3*x*y + y^2 = 0;
eq2: 3*x + y = 1;
solve([eq1, eq2]);
Working with matrices
a: matrix([1,2],[3,4]);
b: matrix([2,2],[2,2]);
a.b;
h[i,j]:=1/(i+j);
a: genmatrix(h,3,3);
determinant(a);
b: matrix([2,3],[5,6]);
echelon(b);
invert(b);
eigenvectors(b); 
Working with files
load(file); 
Interrupting computation
factor(2^(2^7)+1);
 c
MAXIMA>>:q
Quitting Maxima
quit(); 


Mathematica - Maxima

Maxima
Mathematica
plot2d( sin(x),[x,-5,5]);
Plot[Sin[x],{x,-5,5}]
plot3d( sin(x*y),[x,-3,3],[y,-3,3] );
Plot3D[Sin[x y],{x,-3,3},{y,-3,3}]
diff(cos(x)^5,x)
D[Cos[x]^5,x]
integrate(tan(x),x);
Integrate[Tan[x],x]
integrate(%e^(-x^2),x,minf,inf);
Integrate[Exp[-x^2],{x,-Infinity,Infinity}]
romberg(sin(cos(x)), x, 1, 3);
NIntegrate[Sin[Cos[x]],{x,1,3}]
limit((1+1/n)^n,n,inf);
Limit[(1+1/n)^n,{n ->Infinity}]
float(%e); 
N[E,100]
factor(4 + 5*x + 5*x^2 + x^3); 
Factor[4 + 5*x + 5*x^2 + x^3]
trigsimp(cos(x)^2+2*sin(x)^2); 
TrigReduce[Cos[x]^2+2 Sin[x]^2]
tex(sin(x));
TeXForm[Sin[x]]
factor(132413241324123412341234); 
FactorInteger[132413241324123412341234]
solve(x^3-3*x+1,x);
Solve[x^3- 3*x+1==0,x]
solve([x^2+2*x+y+3,x*y-3],[x,y]); 
Solve[{x^2+2*x*y+3==0, x*y-3==0},{x,y}]
sum(k,k,1,n),simpsum;
Sum[k,{k,1,n}]
niceindices(powerseries(sin(x), x, 0));
Series[Sin[x],{x,0,10}]

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Simplicity, Clarity, Generality B.W. Kernighan, R. Pike, in "The Practice of Programming".
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