From: Dave Bakhash
Subject: factoring and equation solving in CL
Date: 
Message-ID: <c297kd99fed.fsf@nerd-xing.mit.edu>
hey,

Is there anything written in CL that can solve equations and factor
stuff, but that does things step-by-step, so you can see how it's doing
it?  I thought I'd seen such a thing once, though I don't recall where.
I figured that there might be something CL-related that does this.

thanks,
dave

From: Christopher C. Stacy
Subject: Re: factoring and equation solving in CL
Date: 
Message-ID: <un0m5gd0a.fsf@dtpq.com>
>>>>> On 13 Jan 2003 11:35:22 -0500, Dave Bakhash ("Dave") writes:

 Dave> hey,
 Dave> Is there anything written in CL that can solve equations and factor
 Dave> stuff, but that does things step-by-step, so you can see how it's doing
 Dave> it?  I thought I'd seen such a thing once, though I don't recall where.
 Dave> I figured that there might be something CL-related that does this.

Sounds like a good homework problem for an intro course; 
I am pretty sure that you can find at least the start of 
such a program in textbooks, for example in PAIP.
There's probably a textbook on CAS somewhere in the world
that does this.
From: Jim White
Subject: Re: factoring and equation solving in CL
Date: 
Message-ID: <ZSPU9.28544$ym4.3205896@news2.west.cox.net>
Dave Bakhash wrote:
> Is there anything written in CL that can solve equations and factor
> stuff, but that does things step-by-step, so you can see how it's doing
> it?  I thought I'd seen such a thing once, though I don't recall where.
> I figured that there might be something CL-related that does this.

I don't know of anything specifically in CL (although it seems that 
Maxima would be bound to have a variety of tracing options).

Something that is a bit related that you might find helpful is Proof 
General.  It is yet-another-emacs-mode which provides an interactive 
interface for proof assistants.  All of the assistants that are 
currently listed are in some form of ML though, and of course the are 
logic-oriented tools rather than mathematical.

http://www.proofgeneral.org/

Jim
From: Jens Axel S�gaard
Subject: Re: factoring and equation solving in CL
Date: 
Message-ID: <3e23eec3$0$71652$edfadb0f@dread11.news.tele.dk>
> Dave Bakhash wrote:
>> Is there anything written in CL that can solve equations and factor
>> stuff, but that does things step-by-step, so you can see how it's
>> doing it?  I thought I'd seen such a thing once, though I don't
>> recall where. I figured that there might be something CL-related
>> that does this.

(a+b)^2
= (a+b)(a+b)
= a(a+b) + b(a+b)
= (a^2+ab)+(ba+b^2)
= a^2+(ab+(ba+b^2))
= a^2+((ab+ba)+b^2)
= a^2+((ab+ab)+b^2)
= a^2+(2ab+b^2)

I'm not sure it would be that useful to have program write out all
the steps it used to do it, unless it was *very* simple equations.
Even simple calculations require many extra steps, that are irrelevant
to the student, as the above example shows.

--
Jens Axel S�gaard
From: Dave Bakhash
Subject: Re: factoring and equation solving in CL
Date: 
Message-ID: <c29el7fy8cr.fsf@nerd-xing.mit.edu>
Jim White <···@pagesmiths.com> writes:

> I don't know of anything specifically in CL (although it seems that
> Maxima would be bound to have a variety of tracing options).

I tried Punimax (via Clisp), but it's old, and it didn't build (at
least, not on my Mac OS X installation of Clisp, via Fink).  Maybe I
should try it on Linux...??

I havn't tried Maxima, but I guess that's next.

I'll give it a shot, and then write back.

dave
From: Raymond Toy
Subject: Re: factoring and equation solving in CL
Date: 
Message-ID: <4nn0m3liru.fsf@edgedsp4.rtp.ericsson.se>
>>>>> "Dave" == Dave Bakhash <·····@alum.mit.edu> writes:

    Dave> Jim White <···@pagesmiths.com> writes:
    >> I don't know of anything specifically in CL (although it seems that
    >> Maxima would be bound to have a variety of tracing options).

    Dave> I tried Punimax (via Clisp), but it's old, and it didn't build (at
    Dave> least, not on my Mac OS X installation of Clisp, via Fink).  Maybe I
    Dave> should try it on Linux...??

    Dave> I havn't tried Maxima, but I guess that's next.

The CVS versions of maxima will run with Clisp just fine.  It runs
just fine on Mac OS X too.

Ray
From: Dave Bakhash
Subject: Re: factoring and equation solving in CL
Date: 
Message-ID: <c29n0m35woe.fsf@no-knife.mit.edu>
Raymond Toy <···@rtp.ericsson.se> writes:

> The CVS versions of maxima will run with Clisp just fine.  It runs
> just fine on Mac OS X too.

I didn't know that Maxima worked with CLISP.  That's why I was playing
with Punimax.

dave
From: Dave Bakhash
Subject: Re: factoring and equation solving in CL
Date: 
Message-ID: <c29iswr5p04.fsf@no-knife.mit.edu>
Raymond Toy <···@rtp.ericsson.se> writes:

> The CVS versions of maxima will run with Clisp just fine.  It runs
> just fine on Mac OS X too.

which cvs repository are you using for maxima?  Is it the sf.net Maxima
project?  i.e. 

 http://sourceforge.net/projects/maxima

??

or are you using another?

dave
From: Raymond Toy
Subject: Re: factoring and equation solving in CL
Date: 
Message-ID: <4n3cnumq1j.fsf@edgedsp4.rtp.ericsson.se>
>>>>> "Dave" == Dave Bakhash <·····@alum.mit.edu> writes:

    Dave> Raymond Toy <···@rtp.ericsson.se> writes:
    >> The CVS versions of maxima will run with Clisp just fine.  It runs
    >> just fine on Mac OS X too.

    Dave> which cvs repository are you using for maxima?  Is it the sf.net Maxima
    Dave> project?  i.e. 

    Dave>  http://sourceforge.net/projects/maxima

Sorry, I should have mentioned it.  Yes, this is the one.

Ray