Macaulay2 is a free

Free software

Free software, software libre or libre software is software that can be used, studied, and modified without restriction, and which can be copied and redistributed in modified or unmodified form either without restriction, or with restrictions that only ensure that further recipients can also do...

 computer algebra system

Computer algebra system

A computer algebra system is a software program that facilitates symbolic mathematics. The core functionality of a CAS is manipulation of mathematical expressions in symbolic form.-Symbolic manipulations:...

 developed by Daniel Grayson (UIUC) and Michael Stillman (Cornell) for computation in commutative algebra

Commutative algebra

Commutative algebra is the branch of abstract algebra that studies commutative rings, their ideals, and modules over such rings. Both algebraic geometry and algebraic number theory build on commutative algebra...

 and algebraic geometry

Algebraic geometry

Algebraic geometry is a branch of mathematics which combines techniques of abstract algebra, especially commutative algebra, with the language and the problems of geometry. It occupies a central place in modern mathematics and has multiple conceptual connections with such diverse fields as complex...

. Stillman, along with Dave Bayer

Dave Bayer

Dave Bayer is an American mathematician. He is currently a professor of mathematics at Barnard College, Columbia University. He was math consultant for the film A Beautiful Mind, and also acted in it as one of the "Pen Ceremony" professors. He is also one of few people to have both an Erdős number...

 had authored the predecessor, Macaulay

Macaulay computer algebra system

Macaulay is a computer algebra system for doing polynomial computations, particularly Gröbner basis calculations. Macaulay is designed for solving problems in commutative algebra and algebraic geometry.It is named after F.S...

. Macaulay2 uses its own high level programming language, intended to closely match the syntax used by mathematician

Mathematician

A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....

s in the field. Both are published under the GNU General Public License

GNU General Public License

The GNU General Public License is the most widely used free software license, originally written by Richard Stallman for the GNU Project....

 version 2.

In a 2006 interview, Andrei Okounkov

Andrei Okounkov

Andrei Yuryevich Okounkov is a Russian mathematician who works on representation theory and its applications to algebraic geometry, mathematical physics, probability theory and special functions. He is currently a professor at Columbia University....

 cited Macaulay2 along with TeX

TeX

TeX is a typesetting system designed and mostly written by Donald Knuth and released in 1978. Within the typesetting system, its name is formatted as ....

 as a successful open source

Open source

The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...

 project used in mathematics

Mathematics

Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...

and suggested that funding agencies look into and learn from these examples.

External links

• Computations in algebraic geometry with Macaulay 2, a book with full text available online.