Wolfram (software)

Template:Short description Template:Redirect Template:For Template:Expand German {{#invoke:Infobox|infobox}}Template:Template other{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters | check | showblankpositional=1 | unknown = Template:Main other | preview = Page using Template:Infobox software with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y | AsOf | author | background | bodystyle | caption | collapsetext | collapsible | developer | discontinued | engine | engines | genre | included with | language | language count | language footnote | latest preview date | latest preview version | latest release date | latest release version | latest_preview_date | latest_preview_version | latest_release_date | latest_release_version | licence | license | logo | logo alt | logo caption | logo upright | logo size | logo title | logo_alt | logo_caption | logo_upright | logo_size | logo_title | middleware | module | name | operating system | operating_system | other_names | platform | programming language | programming_language | released | replaced_by | replaces | repo | screenshot | screenshot alt | screenshot upright | screenshot size | screenshot title | screenshot_alt | screenshot_upright | screenshot_size | screenshot_title | service_name | size | standard | title | ver layout | website | qid }}Template:Main other Wolfram (previously known as Mathematica and Wolfram Mathematica) is a software system with built-in libraries for several areas of technical computing that allows machine learning, statistics, symbolic computation, data manipulation, network analysis, time series analysis, NLP, optimization, plotting functions and various types of data, implementation of algorithms, creation of user interfaces, and interfacing with programs written in other programming languages. It was conceived by Stephen Wolfram, and is developed by Wolfram Research of Champaign, Illinois.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Wolfram Language is the programming language used in Mathematica.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Mathematica 1.0 was released on June 23, 1988 in Champaign, Illinois and Santa Clara, California.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=":0">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Mathematica's Wolfram Language is fundamentally based on Lisp; for example, the Mathematica command Most is identically equal to the Lisp command butlast. There is a substantial literature on the development of computer algebra systems (CAS).

Notebook interfaceEdit

Mathematica is split into two parts: the kernel and the front end. The kernel interprets expressions (Wolfram Language code) and returns result expressions, which can then be displayed by the front end.

The original front end, designed by Theodore Gray<ref>Patent US8407580 Google Patent Search</ref> in 1988, consists of a notebook interface and allows the creation and editing of notebook documents that can contain code, plaintext, images, and graphics.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Code development is also supported through support in a range of standard integrated development environment (IDE) including Eclipse,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> IntelliJ IDEA,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Atom, Vim, Visual Studio Code and Git. The Mathematica Kernel also includes a command line front end.<ref>Using a Text-Based Interface Template:Webarchive documentation at wolfram.com</ref>

Other interfaces include JMath,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> based on GNU Readline and WolframScript<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> which runs self-contained Mathematica programs (with arguments) from the UNIX command line.

High-performance computingEdit

Capabilities for high-performance computing were extended with the introduction of packed arrays in version 4 (1999)<ref>Math software packs new power; new programs automate such tedious processes as solving nonlinear differential equations and converting units by Agnes Shanley, Chemical Engineering, March 1, 2002.</ref> and sparse matrices (version 5, 2003),<ref>Mathematica 5.1: additional features make software well-suited for operations research professionals Template:Webarchive by ManMohan S. Sodhi, OR/MS Today, December 1, 2004.</ref> and by adopting the GNU Multiple Precision Arithmetic Library to evaluate high-precision arithmetic.

Version 5.2 (2005) added automatic multi-threading when computations are performed on multi-core computers.<ref>The 21st annual Editors' Choice Awards Template:Webarchive, Macworld, February 1, 2006.</ref> This release included CPU-specific optimized libraries.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In addition Mathematica is supported by third party specialist acceleration hardware such as ClearSpeed.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 2002, gridMathematica was introduced to allow user level parallel programming on heterogeneous clusters and multiprocessor systems<ref>gridMathematica offers parallel computing solution Template:Webarchive by Dennis Sellers, MacWorld, November 20, 2002.</ref> and in 2008 parallel computing technology was included in all Mathematica licenses including support for grid technology such as Windows HPC Server 2008, Microsoft Compute Cluster Server and Sun Grid.

Support for CUDA and OpenCL GPU hardware was added in 2010.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

ExtensionsEdit

As of Version 14, there are 6,602 built-in functions and symbols in the Wolfram Language.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Stephen Wolfram announced the launch of the Wolfram Function Repository in June 2019 as a way for the public Wolfram community to contribute functionality to the Wolfram Language.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> At the time of Stephen Wolfram's release announcement for Mathematica 13, there were 2,259 functions contributed as Resource Functions.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In addition to the Wolfram Function Repository, there is a Wolfram Data Repository with computable data and the Wolfram Neural Net Repository for machine learning.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Wolfram Mathematica is the basis of the Combinatorica package, which adds discrete mathematics functionality in combinatorics and graph theory to the program.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Connections to other applications, programming languages, and servicesEdit

Communication with other applications can be done using a protocol called Wolfram Symbolic Transfer Protocol (WSTP). It allows communication between the Wolfram Mathematica kernel and the front end and provides a general interface between the kernel and other applications.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Wolfram Research freely distributes a developer kit for linking applications written in the programming language C to the Mathematica kernel through WSTP using J/Link.,<ref name="macworld.com">Mathematica 4.2 Template:Webarchive by Charles Seiter, Macworld, November 1, 2002.</ref> a Java program that can ask Mathematica to perform computations. Similar functionality is achieved with .NET /Link,<ref>.NET/Link Template:Webarchive: .NET/Link is a toolkit that integrates Mathematica and the Microsoft .NET Framework.</ref> but with .NET programs instead of Java programs.

Other languages that connect to Mathematica include Haskell,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> AppleScript,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Racket,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Visual Basic,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Python,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and Clojure.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Mathematica supports the generation and execution of Modelica models for systems modeling and connects with Wolfram System Modeler.

Links are also available to many third-party software packages and APIs.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Mathematica can also capture real-time data from a variety of sources<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and can read and write to public blockchains (Bitcoin, Ethereum, and ARK).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

It supports import and export of over 220 data, image, video, sound, computer-aided design (CAD), geographic information systems (GIS),<ref>Mathematica 6 Labs Review Template:Webarchive Cadalyst Feb 1, 2008</ref> document, and biomedical formats.

In 2019, support was added for compiling Wolfram Language code to LLVM.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Version 12.3 of the Wolfram Language added support for Arduino.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Computable dataEdit

Mathematica is also integrated with Wolfram Alpha, an online answer engine that provides additional data, some of which is kept updated in real time, for users who use Mathematica with an internet connection. Some of the data sets include astronomical, chemical, geopolitical, language, biomedical, airplane, and weather data, in addition to mathematical data (such as knots and polyhedra).<ref>Template:Citation</ref>

ReceptionEdit

BYTE in 1989 listed Mathematica as among the "Distinction" winners of the BYTE Awards, stating that it "is another breakthrough Macintosh application ... it could enable you to absorb the algebra and calculus that seemed impossible to comprehend from a textbook".<ref name="byte198901">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Mathematica has been criticized for being closed source.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Wolfram Research claims keeping Mathematica closed source is central to its business model and the continuity of the software.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

ReferencesEdit

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External linksEdit

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Template:Official website
Mathematica Documentation Center
A little bit of Mathematica history documenting the growth of code base and number of functions over time

Template:Computer algebra systems Template:Numerical analysis software Template:Statistical software Template:Mathematical optimization software Template:Fractal software Template:Image Processing Software Template:Graph Analysis Software Template:Deep Learning Software Template:Wolfram Research Template:Authority control