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