Of course while learning math I have to do a lot of exercises using brain, pen and paper. When doodling and maybe also sometimes while learning 😉 I want some of the work done by a computer, therefore I tried several programs.

Some of the programs I tried before I decided:

• Python libraries: Matplotlib, NumPy, SciPy, SymPy
• Octave
• WolframAlpha Pro, already for a couple of years I had an account, just to doodle, check homework for some online MIT courses I did, or help me get ahead when I got stuck

See Wikipedia for a list of more open-source software for mathematics.

I’m quite a fan of open source, but the above tried options could not live up the experience I had with WolframAlpha Pro. From there I had look at Matlab and Mathematica, Wolfram|One. What I read is that the focus of Matlab is more on the numeric aspect and that of Mathematica more on the symbol side. That and because I already had some experience with WolframAlpha Pro I have chosen for Wolfram|One, pricey but very powerful and intuitive, at least for the simple things I have done up until now. What I read is that Wolfram has an enormous amount of possibilities and therefore a steep learning curve … If you want to know more about Wolfram One you can read it here.

Funny detail is that Mathematica is a program initially written by Stephen Wolfram based on a program called Schoonschip (Dutch for clean sweep) by Martinus Veltman, winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics, both had an itch that computer support needed a step ahead.

Also nice is that there is a Wolfram Language plugin for my favourite development IDE from Jetbrains, see here.

Now let’s start the steep learning curve into Wolfram Language.