[Axiom-developer] Re: partfrac, expand, combine, rewrite and simplify.

[Tim Daly]

Francois wrote:
>Daly wrote :
>
>> Unfortunately your question doesn't seem to have a simple answer.
>> I've never used mupad but it appears that the functions you mention
>> are using a tree-like representation of the expression and allow you
>> to manipulate the tree.
>...
>
>Thanks a lot for theses details. 
>May I explain why I ask theses questions ?
>
>I'm a mathematical teacher one year after baccalauréat in France.
>In my classroom I must use maple, but for my students mupad is more easy.
>mupad is less expensive and more open than maple, but not free. 

We are talking to various Linux vendors (and will contact Microsoft
and Apple once the ports are done) to try to get Axiom available as
part of the standard distribution. This will ensure that students 
have a free, general purpose computer algebra system already available
on every computer.

Axiom can be compiled and run on Debian and RedHat. Other ports are
underway and will be announced on the 
<A HREF="http://savannah.nongnu.org/projects/axiom";>Axiom website</A>.

>So I'm looking for a CAS wich can do every student calculus as
>integrate, differentiate, sum, solver, matrix... and I'm looking
>if the free axiom can do so in future.
>
>Axiom seems to have a lot of avantages.
>Today I can't make any exercice in my classroom with axiom,
>but my question is "Will it possible to do so in some times ?"

I am the lead developer on another computer algebra system called Magnus
which has a "zero learning curve" interface. That is, the interface is
designed to be immediately useful to the student without classroom
instruction. 

I'm also a research professor at City College of New York. Our institute
<A HREF="zerbra.sci.ccny.cuny.edu/web/caiss/main.htm">CAISS</A> is
working to develop a series of front ends for a wide range of math
and science courses. The focus is on the course material made available
by MIT's <A HREF="ocw.mit.edu">Open Courseware</A> effort. Since MIT's
material is free it gives teachers a good reference for their coursework.
In particular, Gilbert Strang (MIT, math) has a Linear Algebra course
that includes video lectures. These are essential to motivating the
student to both learn on their own and use the software. Hopefully
more of the math and science courses will include video in the future.
(MIT's video lectures are probably not useful in France, however).

We currently have a statistics course (CAISS-Stat) as our first 
test example. The idea is to develop specialized menu-driven front
ends for Axiom that make simplifying assumptions. This makes it
easier to build specific functions, label them in menus as expand, 
combine, etc. A whole series of these CAISS-math packages are expected. 

Since the menus are trivial to change and trivial to associate with
any function we expect that professors will be able to change the
system to match their particular course.

Until we have this available you have to consider types.  You can
write programs in Axiom and it is possible to write the kinds of
functions you want as long as you create the correct types. Axiom
knows how to do the things you want but you have to work in the
correct types.

I'll look at the other items you mentioned in your email as soon as
I get the chance.

Tim
address@hidden
address@hidden