MathCad 2001 I Professional

Rating:
Summary: For the right audience this is a perfect tool
Review: There are limitations to spreadsheets for performing advanced statistics, differential equations and graphing. Yes, if you're clever with common spreadsheet applications, such as Excel, you can work wonders. However it's time consuming, clumsy after a certain point, and often requires third-party add-ins. MathCAD, on the other hand, allows you to perform complex operations with a simple drag and drop from its extensive library of built in operators and functions.

I use it for computer systems capacity planning and performance analysis, general statistical analysis and probability in project planning and control. In that respect I haven't begun to tap into the power of this program because, especially calculus and matrix operations. However, what I do use it for gives me an idea of the time savings that results from building equations by dragging the symbols onto the screen, adding the variables and seeing the results immediately. The graphing function is as easy (and powerful). What I can do in MathCAD in less than a minute would take hours to set up in Excel, for example.

What I particularly like about MathCAD is the document management capabilities that are built in, the fact that it seamlessly integrates with Microsoft Office applications (you can drag your equations and graphs into a Word document, for example, with the same ease as an Excel table or graphic), and ability to save your documents as HTML.

Another strong point about MathCAD is the large collection of files and electronic books that are freely available from the publisher's website. They serve as a clearinghouse and solution sharing point for MathCAD users and the solutions that are available cover every business, scientific and technical discipline. An example that is in my technical area of expertise is the Closed queuing network analysis solution that came in handy when I was analyzing batch processing optimization.

If you work with equations and have reached the limits of your spreadsheet application you may find MathCAD to be a great value. You'll certainly become more efficient and productive with it. You'll also find that the learning curve is relatively flat because the user interface is similar to Microsoft's Office family of products. You'll probably wonder how you got along without the ability to build equations with drag and drop shortly after you begin using it. Technical support is responsive, the documentation is clear and complete, and the publisher's web site provides a wealth of add-ons and other tools.

Rating:
Summary: For the right audience this is a perfect tool
Review: There are limitations to spreadsheets for performing advanced statistics, differential equations and graphing. Yes, if you're clever with common spreadsheet applications, such as Excel, you can work wonders. However it's time consuming, clumsy after a certain point, and often requires third-party add-ins. MathCAD, on the other hand, allows you to perform complex operations with a simple drag and drop from its extensive library of built in operators and functions.

I use it for computer systems capacity planning and performance analysis, general statistical analysis and probability in project planning and control. In that respect I haven't begun to tap into the power of this program because, especially calculus and matrix operations. However, what I do use it for gives me an idea of the time savings that results from building equations by dragging the symbols onto the screen, adding the variables and seeing the results immediately. The graphing function is as easy (and powerful). What I can do in MathCAD in less than a minute would take hours to set up in Excel, for example.

What I particularly like about MathCAD is the document management capabilities that are built in, the fact that it seamlessly integrates with Microsoft Office applications (you can drag your equations and graphs into a Word document, for example, with the same ease as an Excel table or graphic), and ability to save your documents as HTML.

Another strong point about MathCAD is the large collection of files and electronic books that are freely available from the publisher's website. They serve as a clearinghouse and solution sharing point for MathCAD users and the solutions that are available cover every business, scientific and technical discipline. An example that is in my technical area of expertise is the Closed queuing network analysis solution that came in handy when I was analyzing batch processing optimization.

If you work with equations and have reached the limits of your spreadsheet application you may find MathCAD to be a great value. You'll certainly become more efficient and productive with it. You'll also find that the learning curve is relatively flat because the user interface is similar to Microsoft's Office family of products. You'll probably wonder how you got along without the ability to build equations with drag and drop shortly after you begin using it. Technical support is responsive, the documentation is clear and complete, and the publisher's web site provides a wealth of add-ons and other tools.