Mathematica is able to perform numerical or symbolic calculations, plot graphs, process data and much more. Originally released in 1988, there’s no doubt that Mathematica is the world’s most powerful mathematical software. However, its price tag has earned it another title, the most expensive calculator.
Mathematica on a PDA. (Photo by
Dr. David Kirkby. Distributed under the
GNU Free Documentation License.)
Mathematica actually consists of two programs, the kernel and the front end. While the front end provides a user interface, the kernel does all the heavy lifting. This means, among other things, that Mathematica can be accessed from a PDA while the actual calculations are performed on a more powerful computer.
The expensive program has a wide variety of uses, from simple calculations to extraordinarily complex projects involving some of Mathematica’s thousands of original algorithms.
Individuals may purchase Wolfram Mathematica 6 Professional for either $2,500 or $3,120 depending on their operating system. A wide variety of operating systems are supported, including Windows, Macintosh, Linux and others.