3. Broad-spectrum computational systems

3.1 Macsyma

Starting in 1969, one of the components of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's MAC project was the development of MAC's SYmbolic MAnipulator (Macsyma). Macsyma's algebraic capabilities are extremely varied: differentiation and integration of functions, limit calculations, solving systems of linear or polynomial equations, development of functions in Taylor or Laurent series, trigonometric series, matrix and tensor calculations, curve drawing.

A high-level language allows users to write their own symbolic expression transformation programs. Macsyma is written...