Mathematica Special Events and Announcements

1. Tenth Anniversary of Mathematica
   1998 marks ten years since Mathematica was first introduced to the world. Now it's in the hands of over a million users. To commemorate the impact Mathematica has made over the past decade and to show a little of what's in store for the next ten years, Wolfram Research has planned many upcoming events and announcements.

2. 1998 Worldwide Mathematica Conference: June 18-21, 1998, Chicago, Illinois
   Join us at the Worldwide Mathematica Conference to celebrate ten years of Mathematica. Complete the online registration form now to receive your early-bird and academic discounts. For conference information, visit our web site at http://www.wolfram.com/conference98.

3. We're Looking for Your Best and Brightest Students
   Talented students are encouraged to apply to the Wolfram Research Summer Intern Program. If you know a student who would like to gain real-world experience and work in a creative and casual atmosphere, please have them contact us at http://www.wolfram.com/opportunities/intern.html or interns@wolfram.com.

Mathematica Products and R&D News

4. Mathematica Available on Additional Platforms
   Wolfram Research is now shipping Mathematica 3.0 on Digital Unix, NEXTSTEP (SPARC), and NEXTSTEP (HP). For a complete list of available platforms, visit http://www.wolfram.com/mathematica/platforms.html.

5. Wolfram Research and Publisher Create Interactive Texts
   Wolfram Research has recently signed a contract with publisher John Wiley and Sons to create electronic versions of the best-selling calculus textbooks, Single Variable Calculus and Multivariate Calculus by the Harvard Consortium. Called Calculus Live, these interactive books will be distributed on CD-ROM along with a custom edition of Mathematica.

6. MathSource Updated to Version 3
   MathSource, an extensive electronic library of Mathematica materials, has recently been updated to be compatible with Version 3. A new version of the MathSource CD-ROM will soon be available as well. Visit http://www.mathsource.com.

7. New Books Available
   • Explorations in Quantum Computing, by Colin P. Williams and Scott H. Clearwater, ISBN 038794768X.

   • Mathematica for Scientists and Engineers: Using Mathematica to Do Science, by Richard Gass, ISBN 0132276127.

   • Mathematics and Mathematica for Economists, by Cliff J. Huang and Phillip S. Crooke, ISBN 1577180348.

   • Modern Differential Geometry of Curves and Surfaces with Mathematica, Second Edition, by Alfred Gray, ISBN 0849371643.

   • Exploring Scanning Probe Microscopy with Mathematica, by Dror Sarid, ISBN 0471168181.

   To see a complete list of the hundreds of available Mathematica-related publications, visit the Wolfram Research online bookstore at http://www.wolfram.com/bookstore.

Mathematica Tips

8. Function of the Month: Nest and NestList
   Many programs you write will involve operations that need to be iterated several times. Nest and NestList are powerful and convenient constructs for doing this. Try these examples:
   Table[Nest[(Sqrt[1+#])&, x, n],{n,1,10}]//TraditionalForm
   Table[Nest[(1/(1+#))&, x, n],{n,1,10}]//TraditionalForm
   NestList[1/2(#+3/#)&, 1, 10]//TableForm
   Read more about Nest and NestList in the Help Browser.

9. Turn Graphics into GIFs Using Display
   Mathematica provides a variety of mechanisms for exporting graphics that you generate to other common graphics formats. The command Display allows you systematically to send graphics from Mathematica to external files and programs. For example, generate this plot:
   Plot[Sin[x] + Sin[Sqrt[2] x], {x, 0, 10}]
   Now save the result as a GIF file by using the Display command:
   Display["sinplot.gif", %, "GIF"]

10. Use the CompleteCharacters Palette
    You can find over 700 characters in the CompleteCharacters palette. Go to File, Palettes, CompleteCharacters, and you'll find Greek, extended Latin, script, and gothic letters--as well as a variety of arrows, symbols, shapes, and icons. And if you pass your cursor over the desired character, you will see its keyboard equivalent. Of course, you can just click the character, too.

For more Mathematica tips, visit http://www.wolfram.com/tipoftheweek.

Mathematica Miscellanea

11. PC Week Ranks Mathematica as a Top Product of 1997
    PC Week's Peter Coffee has chosen Mathematica as one of the best workgroup products of 1997. In an article that rates products as "hits" or "misses," Coffee states, "Another leading-edge software product we saw this year is Wolfram Research Inc.'s Mathematica 3.0, which does just about anything that you ever thought a computer might someday do: advanced mathematics, elaborate typesetting, three-dimensional visualization of complex objects, even electronic music." Read the article at http://www8.zdnet.com/pcweek/sr/1222/22workb.html.

12. Mathematica Receives Eddy Award
    Macworld has selected Mathematica as the 1998 Macworld Editors' Choice award winner in the "best science/engineering tool" category. See the complete list of Eddy winners at http://macworld.zdnet.com/expo/ecwinners98.html.

13. Mathematica Poster Spurs British Docudrama
    The "Solving the Quintic with Mathematica" poster has inspired the creation of the program, "Galois' Enduring Legacy." The program will include interviews with Stephen Wolfram and other Wolfram Research staff who discuss the future of mathematics and computers. The docudrama is scheduled to air in Great Britain on Wednesday, February 25, on BBC2. Read more about solving the quintic at http://www.wolfram.com/posters/quintic.

14. Mathematica Undaunted by the Coming Year 2000--or Even by the Year Two Billion
    Computer industry experts predict dire consequences at the beginning of the Year 2000--the year many computer programs are expected to lose their ability to manipulate and calculate dates properly. The million scientists, engineers, educators, and students who use Mathematica have nothing to fear as January 1, 2000, approaches. Mathematica stores dates and performs calendar calculations using an arbitrary-precision mixed-radix representation that avoids the Year 2000 problem completely. We don't anticipate any problems with our calendar algorithms until a considerable time after the sun has burned itself out.