Entering things using the palette. Can enter x² by typing x^2 anyway.
Binary in Research!
Mathematica in practice

NOTE: YOU MIGHT NEED TO ZOOM A BIT SINCE THE DEFAULT IMAGE SIZE IS A BIT SMALL

I looked at a polynomial and plotted it in postscript here and in pdf here.
I then differentiated various functions using the quotient rule and other other things, such as the relationship between the slope of a function and its derivative, in postscript here and in pdf here.
Then integrated various things and checked that integration is the antiderivative and that it determines the area under a curve in postscript here and in pdf here.
I finally looked at a matrix, computing its determinant, trace and eigenvalues in postscript here and in pdf here.

So mathematica can be used to help for the various other maths courses that you do since you can experiment with things and quickly get a feel them. Will look at DSolve, Sum and other functions next..... Over to you:

Find the real roots to x⁵+3x⁴-7x³+2x²-x-10 = 0 by plotting. Find all of them by using Solve and NSolve.
Take y(x) = 3x³-7x²+x-11. Check that if you differentiate this and then integrate it you don't get what you started with back again, while if you integrate and then differentiate you do! Why is this?
Take a 2 by 2 matrix, { {7,6},{2,2}}. Get its eigenvalues, determinant and trace. Make up other matrices and do the same. Can you spot the pattern?

File translated from T_EX by T_TH, version 2.70.
On 6 Nov 2002, 14:26.