arXiv:cs/0503073cs.SC
Tensor manipulation in GPL Maxima
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Abstract
GPL Maxima is an open-source computer algebra system based on DOE-MACSYMA. GPL Maxima included two tensor manipulation packages from DOE-MACSYMA, but these were in various states of disrepair. One of the two packages, CTENSOR, implemented component-based tensor manipulation; the other, ITENSOR, treated tensor symbols as opaque, manipulating them based on their index properties. The present paper describes the state in which these packages were found, the steps that were needed to make the packages fully functional again, and the new functionality that was implemented to make them more versatile. A third package, ATENSOR, was also implemented; fully compatible with the identically named package in the commercial version of MACSYMA, ATENSOR implements abstract tensor algebras.
Symbolic mathematics is severely underexplored in undergraduate studies, and the little exposure I had was generally tied to proprietary software such as Mathematica and MATLAB. I learned to use it as an imperfect extension of pen-and-paper thinking, and source code for more…
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