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This book shows how to use Maxima.

InstallationEdit

Ways to do it :

Download and install ready made Maxima deb packages
- from Ubuntu repositories ( old versions )
- from other sites^[1]
Compile your own maxima package^[2]^[3]
compile maxima from sources ( without creating deb packages )

Now the best is a git method and I Blahota repository.

from Ubuntu repositoriesEdit

You can make use of Synaptic ( Graphical package manager) or apt-get. In second case write in command line:^[4]

sudo apt-get install maxima

From sourcesEdit

Before compilation, you should have :

gnuplot,
texinfo,
texi2html,
automake 1.9
tk 8.4.

CSVEdit

cd maxima
./bootstrap    # only if you downloaded the source code from cvs
./configure --enable-clisp   # or:   --enable-sbcl
make
make check
sudo make install
make clean

This procedure does not create a deb package.

using gitEdit

If you have git and SBCL then : ^[5]

  git clone git://git.code.sf.net/p/maxima/code maxima
  cd maxima
  ./bootstrap
  ./configure --with-sbcl
  make

Now one can run it from inside the source directory.

cd maxima
./maxima-local

The result :

Maxima branch_5_30_base_104_ged70fb2_dirty http://maxima.sourceforge.net
using Lisp SBCL 1.0.45.0.debian
Distributed under the GNU Public License. See the file COPYING.
Dedicated to the memory of William Schelter.
The function bug_report() provides bug reporting information.
(%i1)

Xmaxima can also be run :

cd ~/maxima
./xmaxima-local

wxMaxima is not present now.

from repositoriesEdit

After git instyallation one can add wxMaxima. First add repositiories^[6] by Istvan Balhota

sudo apt-add-repository ppa:blahota/wxmaxima

update :

sudo apt-get update

Run synaptic

sudo synaptic

and install wxMaxima.

DirectoriesEdit

Start Maxima and type the command:^[7]

   maxima_userdir;

this will tell you the directory that is being used as your user directory.

NumbersEdit

Number TheoryEdit

There are functions and operators useful with integer numbers

Elementary number theoryEdit

In Maxima there are some elementary functions like the factorial n! and the double factorial n!! defined as $\frac{n!}{k!}$ where $k$ is the greatest integer less than or equal to $n/2$

DivisibilityEdit

Some of the most important functions for integer numbers have to do with divisibility:

gcd, ifactor, mod, divisors...

all of them well documented in help. you can view it with the '?' command.

Function ifactors takes positive integer and returns a list of pairs : prime factor and its exponent. For example :

a:ifactors(8);
[[2,3]]

It means that : $8 = 2^3\,$

Other FunctionsEdit

Continuus fractions :

(%i6) cfdisrep([1,1,1,1]);
(%o6) 1+1/(1+1/(1+1/1))
(%i7) float(%), numer;
(%o7) 1.666666666666667

Complex numbersEdit

ArgumentEdit

Principial value of argument of complex number in turns carg produces results in the range (-pi, pi] . It can be mapped to [0, 2*pi) by adding 2*pi to the negative values

carg_t(z):=
 block(
 [t],
 t:carg(z)/(2*%pi),  /* now in turns */
 if t<0 then t:t+1, /* map from (-1/2,1/2] to [0, 1) */
 return(t)
)$

On can order list of complex points according to it's argument :

l2_ordered: sort(l2, lambda([z1,z2], is(carg(z1) < carg(z2))))$

FunctionsEdit

For mathematical functions use always

define()

instead of

:=

There is only one small difference between them:

"The function definition operator. f(x_1, ..., x_n) := expr defines a function named f with arguments x_1, …, x_n and function body expr. := never evaluates the function body (unless explicitly evaluated by quote-quote )."

"Defines a function named f with arguments x_1, …, x_n and function body expr. define always evaluates its second argument (unless explicitly quoted). "^[8]

Data structuresEdit

"Maxima's current array/matrix semantics are a mess, I must say, with at least four different kinds of object (hasharrays, explicit lists, explicit matrices, Lisp arrays) supporting subscripting with varying semantics. " ^[9]

ArrayEdit

Maxima has two array types :^[10]

Undeclared arrays ( implemented as Lisp hash tables )
Declared arrays ( implemented as Lisp arrays )
- created by the array function
- created by the make_array function.

Category: Arrays :

array
arrayapply
arrayinfo
arraymake
arrays - global variable
fillarray
listarray
make_array
rearray
remarray
subvar
use_fast_arrays

Undeclared arrayEdit

Assignment creates an undeclared array.

(%i1) c[99] : 789;
(%o1)                          789
(%i2) c[99];
(%o2)                          789
(%i3) c;
(%o3)                           c
(%i4) arrayinfo (c);
(%o4)                   [hashed, 1, [99]]
(%i5) listarray (c);
(%o5)                         [789]

"If the user assigns to a subscripted variable before declaring the corresponding array, an undeclared array is created. Undeclared arrays, otherwise known as hashed arrays (because hash coding is done on the subscripts), are more general than declared arrays. The user does not declare their maximum size, and they grow dynamically by hashing as more elements are assigned values. The subscripts of undeclared arrays need not even be numbers. However, unless an array is rather sparse, it is probably more efficient to declare it when possible than to leave it undeclared. " ( from Maxima CAS doc)

"created if one does :

b[x+1]:y^2

(and b is not already an array, a list, or a matrix - if it were one of these an error would be caused since x+1 would not be a valid subscript for an art-q array, a list or a matrix).

Its indices (also known as keys) may be any object. It only takes one key at a time (b[x+1,u]:y would ignore the u). Referencing is done by b[x+1] ==> y^2. Of course the key may be a list, e.g.

 b[[x+1,u]]:y

would be valid. "( from Maxima CAS doc)

Declared arrayEdit

declare array ( give a name and allocate memmory)
fill array
process array

array functionEdit

Function: array (name, type, dim_1, …, dim_n)

Creates an n-dimensional array. Here :

type can be fixnum for integers of limited size or flonum for floating-point numbers
n may be less than or equal to 5. The subscripts for the i'th dimension are the integers running from 0 to dim_i.

(%i5) array(A,2,2);
(%o5)                                  A
(%i8) arrayinfo(A);
(%o8)                      [declared, 2, [2,2]]

Because subscripts of array A elements are goes from 0 to dim so array A has :

( dim_1 + 1) * (dim_2 + 1) = 3*3 = 9

elements.

The array function can be used to transform an undeclared array into a declared array.

arraymake functionEdit

Function: arraymake (A, [i_1, …, i_n])

The result is an unevaluated array reference.

(%i12) arraymake(A,[3,3,3]);
(%o12)                    array_make(3, 3, 3)
                                           3, 3, 3
(%i13) arrayinfo(A);
       arrayinfo: A is not an array.

Function: make_arrayEdit

Function: make_array (type, dim_1, …, dim_n)

Creates and returns a Lisp array.

Type may be :

any
flonum
fixnum
hashed
functional.

There are n indices, and the i'th index runs from 0 to dim_i - 1.

The advantage of make_array over array is that the return value doesn't have a name, and once a pointer to it goes away, it will also go away. For example, if y: make_array (...) then y points to an object which takes up space, but after y: false, y no longer points to that object, so the object can be garbage collected.

Examples:

(%i9) A : array_make(3,3,3);
(%o9)                         array_make(3, 3, 3)
(%i10) arrayinfo(A);
(%o10)                     [declared, 3, [3, 3, 3]]

ListEdit

Assignment to an element of a list.

(%i1) b : [1, 2, 3];
(%o1)                       [1, 2, 3]
(%i2) b[3] : 456;
(%o2)                          456
(%i3) b;
(%o3)                      [1, 2, 456]

(%i1) mylist : [[a,b],[c,d]];
(%o1) [[a, b], [c, d]]

Intresting examples by Burkhard Bunk : ^[11]

lst: [el1, el2, ...];         contruct list explicitly
lst[2];                       reference to element by index starting from 1
cons(expr, alist);            prepend expr to alist
endcons(expr, alist);         append expr to alist
append(list1, list2, ..);     merge lists
makelist(expr, i, i1, i2);    create list with control variable i
makelist(expr, x, xlist);     create list with x from another list     
length(alist);                returns #elements
map(fct, list);               evaluate a function of one argument
map(fct, list1, list2);       evaluate a function of two arguments

Category: Lists :

[
]
append
assoc
cons
copylist
create_list
delete
eighth
endcons
fifth
first
flatten
fourth
fullsetify
join
last
length
listarith
listp
lmax
lmin
lreduce
makelist
member
ninth
permut
permutations
pop
push
random_permutation
rest
reverse
rreduce
second
setify
seventh
sixth
some
sort
sublist
sublist_indices
tenth
third
tree_reduce
xreduce

MatrixEdit

"In Maxima, a matrix is implemented as a nested list (namely a list of rows of the matrix)". E.g. :^[12]

(($MATRIX) ((MLIST) 1 2 3) ((MLIST) 4 5 6))

Construction of matrices from nested lists :

(%i3) M:matrix([1,2,3],[4,5,6],[0,-1,-2]);
                                [ 1   2    3  ]
                                [             ]
(%o3)                           [ 4   5    6  ]
                                [             ]
                                [ 0  - 1  - 2 ]

Intresting examples by Burkhard Bunk : ^[13]

A: matrix([a, b, c], [d, e, f], [g, h, i]);     /* (3x3) matrix */
u: matrix([x, y, z]);                           /* row vector */
v: transpose(matrix([r, s, t]));                /* column vector */

Reference to elements etc:

u[1,2];                 /* second element of u */
v[2,1];                 /* second element of v */
A[2,3];   or  A[2][3];  /* (2,3) element */
A[2];                         /* second row of A */
transpose(transpose(A)[2]);   /* second column of A */

Element by element operations:

A + B;     
A - B;
A * B;      
A / B;
A ^ s;      
s ^ A;

Matrix operations :

A . B;                  /* matrix multiplication */
A ^^ s;                 /* matrix exponentiation (including inverse) */
transpose(A);
determinant(A);
invert(A);

Category: Matrices :^[14]

addcol
addrow
adjoint
augcoefmatrix
cauchy_matrix
charpoly
coefmatrix
col
columnvector
covect
copymatrix
determinant
detout
diag
diagmatrix
doallmxops
domxexpt
domxmxops
domxnctimes
doscmxops
doscmxplus
echelon
eigen
ematrix
entermatrix
genmatrix
ident
invert
list_matrix_entries
lmxchar
matrix
matrix_element_add
matrix_element_mult
matrix_element_transpose
matrixmap
matrixp
mattrace
minor
ncharpoly
newdet
nonscalar
nonscalarp
permanent
rank
ratmx
row
scalarmatrixp
scalarp
setelmx
sparse
submatrix
tracematrix
transpose
triangularize
zeromatrix

Function: matrixEdit

Function: matrix (row_1, …, row_n)

Returns a rectangular matrix which has the rows row_1, …, row_n. Each row is a list of expressions. All rows must be the same length.

. operatorEdit

"The dot operator, for matrix (non-commutative) multiplication. When "." is used in this way, spaces should be left on both sides of it, e.g.

A . B

This distinguishes it plainly from a decimal point in a floating point number.

The operator . represents noncommutative multiplication and scalar product. When the operands are 1-column or 1-row matrices a and b, the expression a.b is equivalent to sum (a[i]*b[i], i, 1, length(a)). If a and b are not complex, this is the scalar product, also called the inner product or dot product, of a and b. The scalar product is defined as conjugate(a).b when a and b are complex; innerproduct in the eigen package provides the complex scalar product.

When the operands are more general matrices, the product is the matrix product a and b. The number of rows of b must equal the number of columns of a, and the result has number of rows equal to the number of rows of a and number of columns equal to the number of columns of b.

To distinguish . as an arithmetic operator from the decimal point in a floating point number, it may be necessary to leave spaces on either side. For example, 5.e3 is 5000.0 but 5 . e3 is 5 times e3.

There are several flags which govern the simplification of expressions involving ., namely dot0nscsimp, dot0simp, dot1simp, dotassoc, dotconstrules, dotdistrib, dotexptsimp, dotident, and dotscrules." ( from Maxima CAS doc)

VectorsEdit

Category: Vectors :

Vectors
eigen
express
nonscalar
nonscalarp
scalarp

Category: Package vect^[15]

vect
scalefactors
vect_cross
vectorpotential
vectorsimp

AlgorithmsEdit

Stack ( LIFO)Edit

Stack implementation using list:

/* create stack */
stack:[1];
/* push on stack */
stack:endcons(2,stack);
stack:endcons(3,stack);
block
(
  loop,
  stack:delete(last(stack),stack), /* pop from stack */
  disp(stack), /* display */
  if is(not emptyp(stack)) then go(loop)
);
stack;

PlotsEdit

Topologist's sine curve :

plot2d (sin(1/x), [x, 0, 1])$

Topologist's comb :

Topologist's comb

load(draw); /* by Mario Rodríguez Riotorto  http://riotorto.users.sourceforge.net/gnuplot/index.html  */

draw2d(
 title     = "Topologist\\47s comb", /* Syntax for postscript enhanced option; character 47 = '  */
 xrange        = [0.0,1.2],
 yrange        = [0,1.2],
 file_name = "comb2",
 terminal      = svg,
 points_joined = impulses, /* vertical segments are drawn from points to the x-axis  */
 color         = "blue",
 points(makelist(1/x,x,1,1000),makelist(1,y,1,1000)) )$