TABLE OF CONTENTS In this chapter, we'll discuss the purpose of the Mathcad 2001i software and, in order to get acquainted with its basic functional capabilities, consider the basic techniques of its usage ( see Sections 1.1 and 1.2). Those of you who have previous experience with earlier releases of this software, starting with Mathcad 7, and have a good working knowledge of its editor, can skip this chapter. The main focus will be on the Mathcad 2001i user interface components, which are intuitive and rather similar to those of other Windows applications ( see Section 1.3), and the efficient usage of the Mathcad Help system ( see Section 1.4).
Mathcad is a mathematical editor, enabling the user to perform various scientific and engineering calculations, from elementary arithmetic to complex implementations of numeric methods. Mathcad's intended audience includes students, scientists, engineers, and technical specialists. Thanks to the fact that it is easy to use, and to its visualization of mathematical operations, large library of built-in functions and numerical methods, as well as its admirable toolkit for representing the results (such as various types of graphs and powerful tools for preparing printed documents and Web pages), Mathcad has become one of the most popular mathematical applications in use today.
In contrast to most other modern mathematical software, Mathcad 2001i was developed according to the WYSIWYG principle (WYSIWYG stands for "What You...
