computer science

Macsyma

Macsyma is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Macsyma rather than just read about it. In short: Macsyma (; "Project MAC's SYmbolic MAnipulator") is one of the oldest general-purpose computer algebra systems still in wide use. It was originally developed from 1968 to 1982 at MIT's Project MAC.

Key takeaways

Macsyma belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Macsyma to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Macsyma from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Macsyma (; "Project MAC's SYmbolic MAnipulator") is one of the oldest general-purpose computer algebra systems still in wide use. It was originally developed from 1968 to 1982 at MIT's Project MAC. In 1982, Macsyma was licensed to Symbolics and became a commercial product. In 1992, Symbolics Macsyma was spun off to Macsyma, Inc., which continued to develop Macsyma until 1999. That version is still available for Microsoft's Windows XP operating system. The 1982 version of MIT Macsyma remained available to academics and US government agencies, and it is distributed by the US Department of Energy (DOE). That version, DOE Macsyma, was maintained by Bill Schelter. Under the name of Maxima, it was released under the GPL in 1999, and remains under active maintenance.

Development The project was initiated in July, 1968 by Carl Engelman, William A. Martin (front end, expression display, polynomial arithmetic) and Joel Moses (simplifier, indefinite integration: heuristic/Risch). Martin was in charge of the project until 1971, and Moses ran it for the next decade. Engelman and his staff left in 1969 to return to The MITRE Corporation. Some code came from earlier work, notably Knut Korsvold's simplifier. Later major contributors to the core mathematics engine were: Yannis Avgoustis (special functions), David Barton (solving algebraic systems of equations), Richard Bogen (special functions), Bill Dubuque (indefinite integration, limits, power series, number theory, special functions, functional equations, pattern matching, sign queries, Gröbner, TriangSys), Richard Fateman (rational functions, pattern matching, arbitrary precision floating-point), Michael Genesereth (comparison, knowledge database), Jeff Golden (simplifier, language, system), R. W. Gosper (definite summation, special functions, simplification, number theory), Carl Hoffman (general simplifier, macros, non-commutative simplifier, ports to Multics and LispM, system, visual equation editor), Charles Karney (plotting), John Kulp, Ed Lafferty (ODE solution, special functions), Stavros Macrakis (real/imaginary parts, compiler, system), Richard Pavelle (indicial tensor calculus, general relativity package, ordinary and partial differential equations), David A. Spear (Gröbner), Barry Trager (algebraic integration, factoring, Gröbner), Paul S. Wang (polynomial factorization and GCD, complex numbers, limits, definite integration, Fortran and LaTeX code generation), David Y. Y. Yun (polynomial GCDs), Gail Zacharias (Gröbner) and Rich Zippel (power series, polynomial factorization, number theory, combinatorics). Macsyma was written in Maclisp, and was, in some cases, a key motivator for improving that dialect of Lisp in the areas of numerical computing, efficient compilation and language design. Maclisp itself ran primarily on PDP-6 and PDP-10 computers, but also on the Multics OS and on the Lisp Machine architectures. Macsyma was one of the largest Lisp programs of the time, and was possibly the largest.

Commercialization

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Macsyma

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Macsyma claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Macsyma before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Macsyma ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Macsyma

In research: Macsyma appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Macsyma in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Macsyma is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Common Lisp (programming language) software, Computer algebra system software for Linux, Computer algebra systems, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Macsyma outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Macsyma in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Macsyma means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Macsyma out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Macsyma in simple terms?

Macsyma (; "Project MAC's SYmbolic MAnipulator") is one of the oldest general-purpose computer algebra systems still in wide use. It was originally developed from 1968 to 1982 at MIT's Project MAC.

Why does Macsyma matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Macsyma?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Macsyma.