Technical Computing Magazine - Issue 34

Lucky number 13

Andrew Hinde
Product Specialist

Top left: As shown in Mathcad 13, the definition of function and inverse function for decibels applied to inputs, results and a graph. Bottom left: In Mathcad 13, symbol frequency, new symbols, more line colours and other trace settings allow precise control over graph appearance – improving the readability of complex information. Above: The new trace function in Mathcad 13 lets users format and report intermediate program values in debug mode.

A new release of Mathcad is always newsworthy. After all, this renowned technical calculation software, which enables engineers and scientists to perform the calculations they need while documenting their technical projects, is used by not far short of 2 million people worldwide. So what is it about Mathcad 13 that makes it such a compelling upgrade for existing users - and even more of a must-have for those who need an easy way of applying maths?

For a start, Mathcad 13 includes powerful new program debugging capabilities, including the ability to insert traces and step through program loops, so those essential auditing and verification steps are made much less troublesome. A new Autosave feature lets you specify how often you want Mathcad to save your document, minimising the possibility of losing valuable work in the event of a system crash; and there are new error messages to pinpoint any mathematical errors that you may have otherwise overlooked.

Mathcad 13 also includes a powerful new class of "provenance" capabilities, enabling you to determine conclusively the source of a particular calculation, value or result, including those in your annotations. This ensures your results, units, referenced files or entire document are fully traceable and auditable.

One of the greatest benefits of Mathcad is that it is fully unit-aware, converting on the fly and helping you avoid those common, but potentially disastrous, errors that arise from confusing units. Now, for the first time, Mathcad 13 supports non-linear units such as Fahrenheit, Celsius and decibels, and you can create custom units via an easy-to-use menu. These features are amplified by significant performance improvements, making you more productive across all of your calculation activities, and helping you get more accurate results, faster.

As Mathcad users have come to expect, the new release also delivers better mathematical functionality. Linear algebra has been enhanced, for example, with a marked increase in speed for such functions as matrix inversion, multiplication, linear system solution and eigenvalue reduction. New explicit calculations show substituted values before the final calculation is performed; while new advanced maths functions, solvers and IEEE-compliant arithmetic operations all help to make Mathcad 13 even more capable.

Then there are improved 2D plot graphics, with an easy-to-use customisation menu for special line types, symbol markers and colours. According to Brian Patterson, electrical engineer at Panasonic Plasma Display Laboratories of America, "the new graphing enhancements allow us to make much cleaner presentations: with the new dual y-axis capability, we can plot feedback gain and phase lines to be displayed in a single graph. The performance gains enable us to perform iterative calculations on our magnetic component designs even faster. And as always, we're relying heavily on Mathcad's ability to display mathematical expressions in their natural form with informative annotations to assist reuse and collaboration."

Backwards compatibility is a significant issue for long-term Mathcad users. After all, a lot of work goes into their projects, and to continue to reuse that work, they need to be sure that when they upgrade the software, they're still going to be able to access all the files and worksheets they've prepared in previous versions. Mathcad 13's developers have made improved compatibility with earlier versions a key concern, and this new version should handle all your existing Mathcad documents with ease.

Even if maths isn't your strong point, you'll find it easy to work with Mathcad. Constructing equations is simple thanks to floating symbol palettes, and Mathcad explains the mathematical functions you can use in plain language.

You can if you choose hide any calculation regions behind secure passwords, so you can freely distribute and share your work without compromising confidentiality or your intellectual property. And because you can place your equations, formulae, graphs, tables and text regions anywhere you like
on the Mathcad worksheet, you'll save time by effectively documenting your work as you go.

By sticking with the sequential version numbering for Mathcad 13, Mathsoft's product marketers are obviously not worried by superstition. After taking a good look at this new version, we reckon that Mathcad users are going to think of 13 as a lucky number now!