Evaluating Mathematica

Question

I have a 15-day trial of Mathematica and need to evaluate it, and see if it can be used to help create algorithms for some games we are working on.

Are there any good resources that will teach me some basics and let me explore the application?

Answer 1

Surely you could have googled this yourself?

• Mathematica Tutorials
• Mathematica Tutorials

Answer 2

Some resources that would be useful to the dedicated beginner:

http://www.wolfram.com/broadcast/

• Video demonstrations and short tutorials

---

http://blog.wolfram.com/

• Wolfram Blog frequently shows what is possible with Mathematica, and includes code.

---

http://bmia.bmt.tue.nl/Software/Downloads/Campus/TrainingMathematicaEnglish.zip

• Training Notebooks in a .zip file.

---

http://www.mathprogramming-intro.org/

http://www.google.com/search?&q=site:www.mathprogramming-intro.org

• Mathematica® programming: an advanced introduction by Leonid Shifrin.

  A very advanced introduction, but still approachable, and searchable (second link)

Answer 3

Check out this presentation by Luc Barthelet (formerly of EA Games) on his use of Mathematica in game development:

http://library.wolfram.com/infocenter/Conferences/5367/

Answer 4

Mathematica contains vast amounts of information which can leave you feeling bewildered. A good first reference should be the goal of every new Mathematica user, for this can make or break their experience.

The first stop, the Virtual Book (found in the Help menu). It contains both quick start material and fundamental principles, but I find it easy to get sidetracked, and it isn't heavy on down-to-earth examples. Also, Wolfram (being a for-profit company) markets Mathematica as being all things to all people, the Virtual book is not objective about its shortcomings.

I used The Student's Handbook as a guide for a math minor: plotting, multivariable calculus, linear algebra, and working with data. In that capacity it is beautifully succinct.

It sounds like you need to browse "real world" examples—and have a limited amount of time before the trial period ends. I recommend the Mathematica Cookbook from O'Reilly. You can obtain the online book immediately, and O'Reilly's cookbook style will give you a feel for the sort of programming needed to be effective in testing your gaming ideas.

Best of luck in Mathematica