The world’s most powerful computing environment  

What is Mathematica?

As the world's most powerful global computing environment, Mathematica offers a whole new way of interacting with the world of data.

Mathematica offers a new level of automation in:

• algorithmic computation
• interactive manipulation
• dynamic presentation

Mathematica in the department

Mathematica is currently installed in:

• computer labs: all labs in the College of Engineering, Forestry, and Natural Sciences
• terminal servers: windows.cefns.nau.edu and vlab.nau.edu

Getting Mathematica

The university has an unlimited license for Wolfram Mathematica for university-owned computers.

Computers must be owned by the university, but can reside on or off campus.

Mathematica can also be installed on:

• faculty/staff school-owned machines: Installers are available by making a request to Mathematica Administration.

• faculty/staff personally-owned machines: Home-use versions are available for staff and faculty only. These are NOT available to students. Make a request to Mathematica Administration to find out how to obtain a copy.
• students' personally-owned machines: Students can buy discounted licenses through Wolfram's Web store, but if you're teaching with Mathematica or a significant quantity of students will be purchasing licenses, please contact Craig Bauling for better discounts.

Are you interested in putting Mathematica elsewhere? Please let Craig Bauling know.

What is Mathematica used for in a university setting?

Mathematica is used for:

• lecture presentations, writing journal articles, and student lab reports
• individual student projects, and leads to a much deeper understanding of concepts
• research and writing applications

What are the best steps to start using Mathematica?

If you are new to Mathematica, below are some suggestions on the best ways to get started.

Students

• Watch the "Hands-On Start to Mathematica" tutorial screen cast.
• Explore the Learning Center for topics relevant to your interests.
• Launch Mathematica, open the Classroom Assistant, and perform your first few computations.

Teaching faculty

• Sign up for the "Overview of Mathematica for Education" seminar.
• Explore the Learning Center for topics relevant to your interests.
• Find some prebuilt examples and courseware from the Demonstrations Project, MathWorld, and the Library Archive.
• Assign the above steps in the student section to your classes as homework.
• Sign up for the Faculty Program.

Research faculty

• Sign up for the "Overview of Mathematica for Education" seminar.
• Take other seminars relevant to your work.
• Explore the Learning Center for topics relevant to your interests.
• Go to the Demonstrations Project site to see what's possible.
• Go to the Library Archive for additional resources.