.TH MAXIMA 1L "22 February 2001"
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.SH NAME
maxima \- GNU Common LISP version of MACSYMA symbolic mathematics package
.LP
xmaxima \- A graphical version of maxima
.SH SYNOPSIS
.B maxima
.SH DESCRIPTION
.I Maxima
is a version of the MIT-developed MACSYMA system,
modifed to run under \*(Ky;
it is an interactive expert system and programming environment for symbolic
and numerical mathematical manipulation.
Written in \*(Li, it allows
differentiation, integration, solution of linear or polynomial equations,
factoring of polynomials, expansion of functions in Laurent or Taylor
series, computation of Poisson series, matrix and tensor manipulations,
and two- and three-dimensional graphics.
Procedures may be written
using an ALGOL-like syntax, and both \*(Li-like functions and pattern
matching facilities are provided.
Files containing
.I maxima
objects may be read from and written to disc files, and pre-written
.I maxima
commands may be read from a file and executed, allowing batch-mode use.
.SH INTRODUCTORY INSTRUCTIONS
Upon initialization,
.I maxima
starts \*(Ky, which prints a message, including the instruction:
proper is started, which prints a command line prompt:
.LP
.B (C1)
.LP
All
.I maxima
commands must be concluded with either:
.TP
1)
a semi-colon (in which case the result of the command is echoed on a display
line, prefaced by
.B D
with an appended sequence number), or
.TP
2)
a dollar sign (which suppresses printing of a display line).
.LP
.SH EXAMPLE
.LP
(C1) diff(sin(x),x);
.LP
(D1)                         cos(x)
.LP
(C2) integrate(d1,x);
.LP
(D2)	                     sin(x)
.LP
The user types in commands which create
.I "maxima objects"
(such as functions and system variables) and which manipulate these objects.
There is a built-in editor similar to TECO, which may be used by modifying the
.I maxima
variable
.IR editorcom .
The usual UNIX correction keys may be used to make in-line
typing corrections.
.LP
On UNIX it is strongly recommended to run maxima under Gnu Emacs.
You can do this by invoking shell mode in
.IR emacs ,
and then invoking
.IR maxima .
Alternately you can load
.I dbl.el
from the
.IR gcl (1L)
distribution and use the command:
.IP
.B M-x run
.LP
supplying the argument
.IR maxima .
This attempts to use
.I maxima-mode
from
.IR maxima-mode.el .
The main advantage of working inside
.I emacs
is that it provides a complete history of input/output.
If you execute the command
.IP
.B display2d:false
.LP
you will be able to use your output as input,
by simply killing and yanking.
.LP
Various options can be set which control the behavior of
.IR maxima .
One such option causes the display line output of
.I maxima
be be written in
.IR eqn (1)
format, allowing it to be phototypeset by the UNIX programs
.IR nroff (1)
and
.IR troff (1).
Output may also be cast in the form of FORTRAN code for use elsewhere (with
the commmand
.IR FORTRAN(exp) ).
\*(Li is built into
.I maxima
and may be accessed by typing Ctrl-C.   This puts is the interrupt
character, and puts you into a break loop.   In the GCL version
typing :t, returns to the MAXIMA (Cn) prompt.
.SH BUILT-IN HELP
Extensive on-line documentation is built in to the system.
A description of a given command can be obtained by typing the command
.LP
DESCRIBE(command);
.LP
searches the list of functions for a pattern match and can therefore be used
to browse for subjects for the
.I describe
command.
Demonstration files provide complete examples of problems solved with
.IR maxima ,
and may be accessed with the command
.IR demo(command) .
A library of user-contributed command files is also provided (the
.IR "share library" ),
directed toward a variety of problems.
.SH GNU-EMACS ON-LINE DOCUMENTATION
In
.IR emacs (1L)
execute the command:
.IP
.B M-x info 
.LP
and then select the maxima item.
.LP
If you cannot use
.IR emacs (1L),
then you probably should use a web browser to look at the .html files.
.SH GARBAGE COLLECTION

.I maxima
uses the garbage collection of the underlying lisp
.SH COMMAND PRIMER
.LP
This list includes only commands which the beginner might find
useful to know about prior to studying the on-line primer and
the printed reference manuals.
.TP
.B alloc(entity);
Allocate extra space for the given entity.
.TP
.B batch("myfile");
Execute the contents of file
.IR myfile ,
which is assumed to contain
.I maxima
commands.
.TP
.B closefile("myfile");
Close session file opened by a writefile command (see below).
.TP
.B demo("myfile");
Execute the contents of file
.IR myfile ,
which is assumed to contain
.I maxima
commands, one line at a time.
.TP
.B ev(infolists);
Print the contents of all of the available information lists.
.TP
.B functions;
Print a list of the names of currently defined functions.
.TP
.B gcprint:off;
Inhibit printing of the garbage collection message.
.TP
.B infolists;
Print a list of the various available information lists.
.TP
.B kill(objectlist);
Eliminate the object(s) contained within parentheses;
.I kill(all)
Delete all objects created by the user, restoring
.I maxima
to its initial state.
.TP
.B quit();
Leave
.IR maxima .
.TP
.B reset();
Reset all
.I maxima
control parameters to their default states.
.TP
.B values;
Print a list of the names of currently assigned scalar values.
.TP
.B writefile("myfile");
Write record of session to file
.IR myfile ;
only one file at a time can be open, and the
.I closefile
command must be invoked prior to leaving
.I maxima
to flush the buffer.
.SH PLOTTING COMMANDS
.LP
.TP
.B 
.IP
.B plot2d(sin(x),[x,-2,2]);
.LP
.IP
.B plot3d(2^(-u^2+v^2),[u,-5,5],[v,-7,7]);
.LP
the plots are now done using tcl/tk.   
.TP
.B Commands which read/write files
The original MACSYMA ran on a DEC-10, and the corresponding document presents
file syntax for that machine.
Under
.IR maxima ,
disc file names should follow UNIX convention for file names, and should
appear within double quotation marks, as for this example of the
.I demo()
command which uses the UNIX file
.IR myfile :
.RS
.IP
demo("myfile");
.RE
.IP
Relative path names are assumed to relate to the users current directory.
.SH FILES
.TP 2.2i
.I /usr/local/lib/maxima-X-X
primary directory
.TP 2.2i
.I /usr/local/lib/maxima-X-X/info
.LP
primary documentation directory, containing emacs style info files which
are used for the 'describe' command, and also for viewing under emacs.
There are also .html files for web browsers, and .texi files for running through
tex, to obtain a printed version of the manual.
.TP 2.2i
.I 
maxima mode
.TP 2.2i
.I /usr/local/lib/maxima-X-X/elisp/maxima-mode.el
.LP
finding documentation on using maxima in gnu emacs.
There is also source level debugging,
if you run maxima over dbl in emacs, and use commands such as
.TP 2.2i
.I 
:br myfun
to set a breakpoint
.TP
Executables:
.I /usr/local/bin/maxima and /usr/local/bin/xmaxima
.LP
Old Reference:  
.I "MACSYMA Reference Manual"
(volumes 1 and 2).
The Mathlab Group,
Laboratory for Computer Science, MIT.
Version 10.
January 1983.
.LP
Newer references: 
.I http://www.ma.utexas.edu/maxima.html
.SH BUGS
.I Maxima
is a complex system and there are undoubtedly bugs present.
Use at your own risk.
.SH AUTHOR
MACSYMA (Project MAC's SYmbolic MAnipulation System) was developed by the
Mathlab group of the MIT Laboratory for Computer Science (originally known
as Project MAC), during the years 1969-1972.
Their work was supported by grants NSG 1323 of the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration, N00014-77-C-0641 of the Office of Naval
Research, ET-78-C-02-4687 of the U.S. Department of Energy, and
F49620-79-C-020 of the U.S. Air Force.
MACSYMA was further modifed for use
under the UNIX operating system (for use on DEC VAX computers and Sun
workstations), by Richard Fateman and colleagues at the University of
California at Berkeley; this version of MACSYMA is known as VAXIMA.
The present version is a re-working of the public domain MIT MACSYMA
for \*(Ky, prepared by William Schelter, University of Texas at Austin
(wfs@math.utexas.edu).   It contains numerous additions, extensions and enhancements
of the original.    The original version of this 
manual page was written by R. P. C. Rodgers, UCSF School of Pharmacy, San Francisco, CA 94143
(rodgers@maxwell.mmwb.ucsf.edu) in 1989.
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