MA 207

Intro to Math Software

This course provides an introduction to the use of several commercial and open-source software packages which are useful to mathematics students and professional mathematicians. The students will acquire a knowledge of basic programming concepts through computer-aided lectures and projects and learn how to use each system for symbolic and numerical problem solving and visualization. Examples will be taken from linear algebra (operations with vectors and matrices, solving linear equations), discrete mathematics (elementary combinatorics, basic graphs), visualization of functions, numerical solution of nonlinear equations, descriptive statistics, elementary probability and simulations. The software (e.g. Maple, Matlab, R) presented in the course will enhance each student's presentation, visualization, and problem-solving skills. Prerequisites: MA103, MA122.