REVIEW OF MY SOFTWARE:
1. Microbit, SymbMath, IEEE Micro, 1992, Feb., 12(1), 76.
2. Microbit, PlotD11A.ZIP & SM20A.ZIP, IEEE Micro, 1992, June, 12(3), 80.
3. G. Long, SymbMath 1.4, Australian PC World, 1992, June, 119.
4. Editor, SymbMath 1.4, Sixteen Bits, 1993, Jan., 76.
5. S. Arnold, Beyond the graph plotter, Reflections, 1993, May, 18(2),
55-64.
6. R. Iwaschkin, SymbMath, PC Plus, 1993, June, 281.
7. J. Fitch, Mathematics goes automatic, Physics World, 1993, June, 48-52.
8. G. Long, SymbMath 2.0, Australian PC World, 1993, July, 147.
9. G. Long, PlotData 1.1, Australian PC World, 1993, July, 147.
10. P. Souza, Computer Algebra Systems, Notices Am. Math. Soc., 1993,
July/Aug., 40(6), 617-623.
11. Editor, SymbMath 2.2, IEEE Expert, 1993, Aug., 8(4), 99.
12. Editor, Symbolic Calculator, What's new in computing, 1993, Oct.,
12(1), 18.
13. D. Plackov, SymbMath 2.2, Chem. in Australia, 1993, Dec., 60(12), 665.
14. Editor, Symbmath, Focus, 1994, 22 July, 19.
15. G. Long, SymbMath, Australian PC World, 1994, July, 257.
16. G. Long, PlotData, Australian PC World, 1994, July, 257.
17. Editor, SymboliCalc, Computer Market, 1994, Sep., (19), 39-40.
18. Editor, SymbMath 3.1, AI Expert, 1995, Mar., 47.
19. B. Simon, Symbolic math powerhouses, Desktop Engineering, Premiere
1995, 42-51.
20. D. Pomeroy, PlotData, Chem. in Aus., 1996, March, 135.
21. W. Hereman, Computer algebra: lightening the load, Physics World,
1996, March, 47.
NEWSPAPER:
22. Symbmaths is for serious numbers, Campus Review, 1994,
July 7, 12.
23. Symbmath takes complex problems out of maths, Uniken, 1994,
July 29, 1.
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The magazine <<Australian PC World>>, June 1992, page 119,
reviewed, "SymbMath 1.4 belongs in a more esoteric field, that
of symbolic mathematics. If you've ever had need for programs such as
Maple or Mathematica, you'll know about symbolic mathematics, also called
algebraic computation or symbolic manipulation. SymbMath is a symbolic
calculator that can manipulate complicated formulas and return answers
in terms of symbols. It solves the same sort of problems as programs like
Mathematica, but still runs in 640 K of RAM as opposed to Mathematica's
4 Mb plus. Although SymbMath is still being added to, it has generated
interest in the scientific sections of some overseas electronic bulletin
boards, being one of the most frequently downloaded programs at some
monitored sites".
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The <<IEEE Micro>> journal on February 1992, page 76, said
"SymbMath, an expert system that solves mathematic problems in symbolic
formula or through numeric computation ... requires significantly less
RAM than most comparable software - 640 Kbytes, as opposed to as much as
4 Mbytes".
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The <<Australian PC World>> magazine on 1993
July, page 147, reviewed "SymbMath 2.0 is a symbolic calculator that can
manipulate complicated formulas and return answers in term of symbols. It
solves the same sort of problems as programs such as Mathematica and Maple
(and some that they can't), yet runs within 640K of RAM."
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<<PC Plus>>, the June 1993 issue, page 281, reviewed SymbMath
as follows.
SUPPLIER: Public Domain and Shareware Library
PHONE: (0892) 663298
FOR: Powerful maths functions
Automatically learns from user input
Modest hardware requirements
AGAINST: Needs advanced maths knowledge
PCPLUS VALUE VERDICT: xxx
REQUIREMENTS:
MINIMUM HARDWARE: DRIVES: Hard disk, RAM: 640 Kb
* Mathematics whizzes should find <SymbMath> a capable facility for
handling complex problems.
Symbmath, short for Symbolic Mathematics, is both an advanced
mathematical calculator and an expert system. Designed by Australian
Weiguang Huang for solving university and professional level symbolical
maths problems. <Symbmath> will also perform exact numerical
computation. It's able to manipulate extremely complicated formulae,
returning answers in terms of symbols, formulae, or exact numbers as
required. The program can learn from your calculations, automatically
adding your problem-solving techniques to its repertoire: making it of
interest to artificial intelligence researchers as well as mathematicians,
particularly as you don't have to write any code.
Its capabilities are impressive, going well beyond the facilities
offered by rival programs. It's very fast and includes wide-ranging
and sophisticated routines for differentiation, integration, equation
solving, algebraic calculations, exact and floating point numerical
computation of numbers ranging from plus to minus infinity, and an ex-
tensive array of other advanced facilities that will be more than enough
to handle academic or practical mathematical problems of even extreme
complexity.
Despite this extensive computing power, <Symbmath> will
nevertheless run on very basic hardware: you need at least 640 Kb of RAM
and a hard disk, but an 8088-based PC with a monochrome monitor is ample
for even very convoluted calculations. You'll need to be well-schooled
in advanced maths but, if you are, you'll will find <SymbMath>, well
worth investigating.
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<<Refections>>, Vol. 18, No. 2, May 1993, page
58, reviewed SymbMath:
"An alternative for MS-DOS users which has the unique advantage of
being `home grown', SymbMath is the only Australian-made computer algebra
system of which I am aware. SymbMath comes in three versions (shareware,
student and advanced), with corresponding increases in price and in
capabilities. The student version is reviewed here, and was found to be
a versatile and useful mathematical tool.
Like Maple on Macintosh, mathematical input must be entered in
`computer syntax', but SymbMath (like Maple V and Derive) has the option
of two-dimensional output, which provides a reasonable approximation of
mathematical notation. Its capabilities are impressive, including a
`chemistry' option, in which it performs chemical calculations and
operates on chemical equations, and a unique ability to `learn' from the
user. Entering a rule for differentiation, for example, automatically
`teaches' the program how to integrate using that rule; trigonometric
identities and algebraic formulas can likewise be used as the basis for
inference.
At the same time, the programs provide more than adequate computer
algebra capabilities, and represent excellent value for money."
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<<Chemistry in Australia>> magazine, December 1993, page 665,
reviewed:
"SymbMath 2.2 (an abbreviation for Symbolic Mathematics) is a
software package for symbolic computation. It runs on IBM PC compatible
under DOS and requires only 420 KBytes of memory. It is an integrated
software package with pull-down and pop-up menus, on-line help and on-
line manuals which make application easier. The diskette also contain a
detailed manual with many examples.
SymbMath performs both exact numerical computations and evaluates
symbolic formulae. The package has the capability of solving mathematical
expressions, simultaneous equations, limits, differentiation, integration,
sums and products etc. It is also a programming language working as an
interpreter with variety of types, loops, arrays, functions etc. which
enable writing of programs for solving of more complex mathematical
procedures. This also enables documentation of your calculations.
The package is very easy to apply. The user just needs to type
the command for the required mathematical operation, and the expression(s).
Mathematical problems which usually require lots of calculation time can
be solved quickly.
SymbMath has the ability to deduce and expand its knowledge.
Provided with neccessary facts, the package may solve many problems that
they were unable to solve before e.g. integrals etc. There is a chemical
calculation package which is capable of stoichiometric calculations as
well as an inorganic reaction package which may provide answers for some
inorganic chemical reactions. It also performs plots of functions and
data and interface with other software.
Like the other software packages for symbolic mathematics e.g.
Mathematica, MAPLE etc., SymbMath is suitable for performing calculations
of expressions, solving various mathematical problems, or performing
preliminary analysis before solving very complex mathematical problems.
The availability of such software has already had an impact on teaching
mathematics at universities and there will be more applications for such
packages in the future because they enable easy solution of diverse
mathematical problems. Compared with large packages like Mathematica
capable of solving very complex problems (which runs under Microsoft
Windows which itseft require a very large memory), SymbMath has a big
advantage in that it requres very little memory, it is much easier to
learn and it is much less expensive. I would highly recommand the package
for anyone who uses mathematics in their work."
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<<IEEE Expert>> on August 1993, Vol. 8, No. 4, page 99, reviewed:
"SymbMath 2.2 is an expert system for solving symbolical math problems
and performing exact numeric computations. It can manipulate complicated
formulas and return answers in terms of symbols, formulas, and exact
numbers. It also learns from users; for instance, it can learn the
integrals of an unknown function from a derivatives of the function. The
shareware version is available from Simtel20 archives on anonymous FTP
sites (rana.cc.deakin.oz.au as /huang/sm22a.zip) or by e-mail from
listserv@vm1.nodak.edu or listserv@ndsum1.bitnet. Student and Advanced
versions are also available."
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The <<Australian PC World>> magazine on 1994
July, page 257, reviewed "SymbMath - a symbolic calculator that can
manipulate complicated formulas and return answers in term of symbols
in the same category as more expensive programs such as Mathematica."
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Newspapers <<Campus Review>> on July 7, 1994, page 12, published
a review titled "Symbmaths is for serious numbers".
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Newspapers <<Uniken>> on July 29, 1994, page 1, published half-page
of an article titled "SymbMath program takes complex problems out of maths".
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Magazine <<Computer Market>> on September 1994, page 39-40, said:
"Dr Weiguang Huang, who is obviously something of a beaver brain, has
developed a piece of software called SymbmMath 3.1. Based on symbolic maths
principles, the program will perform exact numeric, symbolic and algebraic
calculations. It is also clever enough to learn from the user's input, such
as integrals of an unknown function."