Maxima

What Maxima is

Maxima is a free computer algebra system for symbolic and numerical expressions, available on Linux, macOS, Windows, and the web. It handles differentiation, integration, Taylor series, Laplace transforms, ordinary differential equations, linear equation systems, polynomials, vectors, matrices, and tensors. Numerical work supports exact fractions, arbitrary-precision integers, and variable-precision floating-point values. Maxima plots functions and data in two or three dimensions. Downloads include wxMaxima and XMaxima notebook interfaces with formatted mathematical output, alongside a terminal program. An online version can be tried in a browser. Maxima is distributed under the GNU General Public License, with some U.S. Department of Energy export restrictions. Linux plotting instructions require Gnuplot. The project discussion mailing list accepts questions from beginners and developers. Source code and documentation are maintained by 27 volunteers worldwide. The project notes that no computer algebra system is complete or proven correct for every problem. Maxima descends from Macsyma, which began at MIT in the late 1960s.