Re: Working with vectors symbolically
- To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
- Subject: [mg93630] Re: Working with vectors symbolically
- From: David Bailey <dave at removedbailey.co.uk>
- Date: Tue, 18 Nov 2008 07:23:26 -0500 (EST)
- References: <gfrjv6$lo5$1@smc.vnet.net>
cool-RR wrote: > I need a CAS for working with vectors symbolically. I am accustomed to > using Mathematica for my symbolic math work, but it seems that > Mathematica is not up for the task. So I am hoping that you can either > show me how to do it in Mathematica, or refer me to some other CAS > that can handle this. [Do this my email to the author - moderator] > What I do are equations relating to electromagnetic fields. I have > long equations which are filled with scalar products and cross > products of vectors. Right now I have to simplify these equations by > hand. I want to be able to simplify them automatically... Also taking > limits. Mathematica has trouble taking limits on equations involving > vectors. > > So anyone has any advice to offer? > > Thanks, > Ram Rachum. > By supplying your own rules, it is possible to program all sorts of algebraic systems - commutative or non-commutative - using Mathematica. This is often quite easy, because you end up with a few simple rules that get applied over and over again to produce complicated results. Writing your own rules may be much easier than trying to find a pre-built system that supplies exactly what you need. For example, you can decide all sorts of details for yourself - such as how to represent scalar quantities, distinguish between symbolic vectors and scalars, etc. Someone may suggest some existing package, but failing that, why not post a few specific examples of the transformations you wish to achieve? David Bailey http://www.dbaileyconsultancy.co.uk