Fwd: Re: Re: Any Mathematica 6 book yet?
- To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
- Subject: [mg81589] Fwd: [mg81543] Re: [mg81497] Re: Any Mathematica 6 book yet?
- From: "peter lindsay" <plindsay at mcs.st-and.ac.uk>
- Date: Fri, 28 Sep 2007 02:17:00 -0400 (EDT)
- References: <200709261035.GAA06256@smc.vnet.net>
The Mathematica Book by Wolfram was a major achievement and added much to the value of the "Mathematica" experience. I can see a new version of the book only adding to the value of the product, even if it has to come in several volumes. I wish they'd get on with it ..... P. Lindsay On 27/09/2007, Murray Eisenberg <murray at math.umass.edu> wrote: > I'm not sure a book or two will suffice to overcome this difficulty. > > The surest way to get engineers and scientists to use a "new" tool such > as Mathematica is to train the next generation to use it and wait for > the old generation to die off. But then the problem becomes how to get > just enough far-sighted individuals (such as ourselves, naturally) to > teach the new tool, often against the opposition of the faculty in > client departments or of our own colleagues. > > I suspect the important factor will not be any books about Mathematica > itself, but rather subject-specific textbooks that happen to use > Mathematica in an essential and integrated manner and whose content is > so compelling as to make them irresistible to adoption. > > Familiarity with an old tool is something really hard to dislodge as the > supreme motivating factor. > > I sometimes find it utterly amazing how deeply some mathematicians, > scientists, or engineers believe that Mathematica is deficient in being > handle this or that kind of problem (typically said about numerics, but > sometime about graphics, too). > > Folks can make up all sorts of rationalizations to excuse their not > taking the time to learn something new. And if you try to show them > that a particular rationalization, or misconception, is wrong, they just > repeat or invent another. > > AES wrote: > > AES wrote: > > > >> In article <fd7s0t$ceh$1 at smc.vnet.net>, > >> Murray Eisenberg <murray at math.umass.edu> wrote: > >> > >>> Or as least work with some inside authors. > >>> > >>> I believe that part of the early success of Mathematica was > >>> Wolfram's carefully seeding the marketplace with encouragement, if > >>> not actual support, of a number of books about it. > > > > > > Absolutely agreed. > > > > And failing to do so this time around will cost them -- especially when > > combined with the comparatively high price and the perceived complexity > > of Mathematica. > > > > I interact with a *lot* of engineering and science students and > > professional researchers, and attempt to promote Mathematica as much as > > I can, out of my own self interest in being able to work in it and > > communicate with others about it as much as anything else. > > > > The response, from a very substantial majority I would say, is that they > > are already familiar with other competitive products that they have > > encountered in their various classes, and see no reason to change. > > > > -- > Murray Eisenberg murray at math.umass.edu > Mathematics & Statistics Dept. > Lederle Graduate Research Tower phone 413 549-1020 (H) > University of Massachusetts 413 545-2859 (W) > 710 North Pleasant Street fax 413 545-1801 > Amherst, MA 01003-9305 > > -- peter lindsay -- peter lindsay
- References:
- Re: Any Mathematica 6 book yet?
- From: AES <siegman@stanford.edu>
- Re: Any Mathematica 6 book yet?