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Re: total newbie

• To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
• Subject: [mg111057] Re: total newbie
• From: Murray Eisenberg <murray at math.umass.edu>
• Date: Sun, 18 Jul 2010 01:06:26 -0400 (EDT)

You'll probably get scores of replies...  Two methods:

(1) If on a PC, use Shift-Enter.  (On a Mac, there's a separate Enter 
key on the numeric keypad that does it.)

It IS documented, and in a fairly obvious place: From Help Menu, open 
Documentation Center.  Now you noticed that you're dealing with a 
_notebook_, so it's rather natural to click the "Notebooks and 
Documents" section there.  The first entry in the expanded list is 
"Notebook Basics"; click that.  Right near the top of the page that 
opens (guide/NotebookBasics" is:

   Shift+Enter -- do a computation

Another way to get there: From Help menu (or from icon at top of 
Documentation Center home page) open the "Virtual Book".  Obviously, 
look at Introduction. First section there: "Running Mathematica". 
Obvious next to click entry "Using a Notebook Interface".  This opens 
page tutorial/UsingANotebookInterface", and near the top of that you'll 
read about Shift + Enter.

(2) You used the "computerese" terminology "make the commands in the 
file execute".  Think instead of a more mathematical terminology: 
"evaluate" something.  So from the main Mathematica menu, select 
Evaluation. You should be able to take it from there.

On 7/17/2010 8:15 AM, Michael Robinson wrote:
> I downloaded mathematica tonight so I can do an assignment.  I have to
> modify a file our teacher posted on the class website, solve some equations
> and generate a curve...
> okay, this file ends in the extension nb.
> I need to know how to make the commands in the file execute.
>
> Now don't laugh.  I put the  cursor at the end of the line (for example a
> ParametricPlot command) and hit enter.  I get a carriage return.
>
> My problem is so elementary that the help menus don't even address it.
>
>

-- 
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