Workshop on environments for computational mathematics
Dennis S. Arnon · ACM SIGGRAPH Computer Graphics · 1988
I . Introductio nSince the 1950s, many researchers have worked to realiz e the vision of natural and powerful computer systems fo r interactive mathematical work .Nowadays this vision can b e expressed as the goal of an integrated system for symbolic , numerical, graphical and documentational mathematica l work .Recently the development of personal computers (wit h high resolution screens, window systems and mice), highspeed networks, electronic mail and electronic publishing , have created a technological base that is more than adequat e for the realization of such systems .However, the growth o f separate mathematical typesetting, multimedia electroni c mail, numerical computation and computer algebr a communities, each with its own conventions, threatens t o prevent these systems from being built .To be specific, little thought has been given to unifyin g the different expression representations currently used in th e different communities .This must take place if there is to b e interchange of mathematical expressions among document , display and computation systems .Also, tools that are wante d in several communities, e .g .WYSIWYG mathematica l expression editors, are being built independently by each , with little awareness of the duplication of effort that thereb y occurs .Worst of all, the ample opportunities for crossfertilization among the different communities are not bein g exploited .For example, some computer algebra system s explicitly associate a type with a mathematical expression (e .g .3X3 matrix of polynomials with complex numbe r coefficients), which could enable automated math proofreaders, analogous to spelling checkers .The goal of the Workshop on Environments fo r Computational Mathematics was to open a dialogue amon g representatives of the computer algebra, numerica l computation, multimedia electronic mail and mathematica l typesetting communities .In July 1986, during the Computer s and Mathematics Conference at Stanford University, a subse t of this year's participants met at Xerox PARC to discuss use r interfaces for computer algebra systems .This group agreed to hold future meetings, of which the present workshop is th e first .Alan Katz's recent essay, "Issues in Defining a n Equations Representation Standard," RFC1003, Arp a Network Information Center, March 1987 (reprinted in th e ACM SIGSAM Bulletin, May 1987, pp .19-24), influenced th e discussion at the workshop, especially since it discusses interchange of mathematical expressions .This report does not aim to be a transcript of th e workshop, but rather tries to extract the major points upo n which (in the editor's view) rough consensus was reached .I t