In mathematics and computer science, computer algebra, also called symbolic computation or algebraic computation, is a scientific area that refers to the study and development of algorithms and software for manipulating mathematical expressions and other mathematical objects. Although computer algebra could be considered a subfield of scientific computing, they are generally considered as distinct fields because scientific computing is usually based on numerical computation with approximate floating point numbers, while symbolic computation emphasizes exact computation with expressions containing variables that have no given value and are manipulated as symbols.
Facts
Disputed
Origin YearNo single founding moment is agreed for the field; McCarthy's 1960 symbolic-computation work in Lisp is the most commonly cited starting point. Core ConcernDeveloping algorithms and software that manipulate mathematical expressions symbolically and exactly, rather than through approximate numerical computation. 1 Connections
Associated With
Computer algebra is defined by Wikipedia as the study and development of algorithms for manipulating mathematical expressions, placing it alongside the atlas's algorithms and complexity theory field.
Source Computer Algebra (Wikipedia)
Field-to-field association; both are standard neighbouring areas of computing
Sources
1. Computer Algebra (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationHistory, Foundations and early applications section, first sentence
In 1960, John McCarthy explored an extension of primitive recursive functions for computing symbolic expressions through the Lisp programming language while at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Lead paragraph, first sentence
In mathematics and computer science, computer algebra, also called symbolic computation or algebraic computation, is a scientific area that refers to the study and development of algorithms and software for manipulating mathematical expressions and other mathematical objects.
Associated With: Algorithms and Complexity Theory, Lead section
Computer algebra, also called symbolic computation or algebraic computation, is a scientific area that refers to the study and development of algorithms and software for manipulating mathematical expressions.
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