algebra

Efficient Math Commands for Wolfram Alpha

Wolfram Alpha is a free, online, computational engine. It provides some of the power of a computational algebra system (CAS) such as Maple or Mathematica without having to learn the proper syntax. However, it takes a little bit of practice to get WA to give exactly what you want. Here, I’ll give a list of queries that are commonly used… Read more →

The formula that ate your 401(k)

There have been quite a few articles recently discussing the mathematical models of the valuation of mortgage backed securities, and the house of cards that fell as a result. One appeared on WIRED and another in The New York Times . So what’s the take-away for college math education? Most of our math students are not in math intensive majors…. Read more →