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Stop paying for Adobe, Microsoft, or Mathematica—these free open-source alternatives will get you through college
Quoting: Stop paying for Adobe, Microsoft, or Mathematica—these free open-source alternatives will get you through college —
College is expensive. So is the software you need to get through your classes, including science, math, or video production, even with academic discounts. There are open-source alternatives to popular proprietary apps that can help you survive college without spending too much money. Paid: Mathematica/MATLAB/Maple Free: Python + NumPy and SymPy or SageMath Take the pain out of math Expansion of a binomial in SymPy to create Pascal's triangle.
If you're studying science, math, or engineering, there's a good chance you've come across something like Mathematica, MATLAB, or Maple. Mathematica and Maple are computer algebra systems. They're like calculators, but they work on exact algebraic objects instead of decimal approximations you'd get with a calculator. For example, when calculating square roots, they'll show you the exact answer and even factor out perfect squares, as you'd learn in an introductory algebra course. Computer algebra systems let you do other algebraic operations like solving equations and can even handle differential and integral calculus.
MATLAB works numerically, but it handles the matrix calculations that are essential to modern science and engineering.