This Computer Algebra Handbook gives a comprehensive snapshot of this field at the intersection of mathematics and computer science with applications in physics, engineering and education. It contains both theory, systems and practice of the discipline of symbolic computation and computer algebra. With the wide angle of a "lense" of about 200 contributors it shows the state of computer algebra research and applications in the last decade of the twentieth century. Aside from discussing the foundations of computer algebra, the handbook describes 67 software systems and packages that perform tasks in symbolic computation. In addition, the handbook offers 100 pages on applications in physics, mathematics, computer science, engineering chemistry and education. The book is accompanied by a CD-ROM, containing demo versions for most of the computer algebra systems treated in the book, as well as links to further information on some of these. This book will be very useful as a reference to graduate students and researchers in symbolic computation and computer algebra.

This Handbook gives a comprehensive snapshot of a field at the intersection of mathematics and computer science with applications in physics, engineering and education. Reviews 67 software systems and offers 100 pages on applications in physics, mathematics, computer science, engineering chemistry and education.

Symbolic rewriting techniques are methods for deriving consequences from systems of equations, and are of great use when investigating the structure of the solutions. Such techniques appear in many important areas of research within computer algebra: * the Knuth-Bendix completion for groups, monoids and general term-rewriting systems, * the Buchberger algorithm for Groebner bases, * the Ritt-Wu characteristic set method for ordinary differential equations, and * the Riquier-Janet method for partial differential equations. This volume contains invited and contributed papers to the Symbolic Rewriting Techniques workshop, which was held at the Centro Stefano Franscini in Ascona, Switzerland, from April 30 to May 4, 1995. That workshop brought together 40 researchers from various areas of rewriting techniques, the main goal being the investigation of common threads and methods. Following the workshops, each contribution was formally refereed and 14 papers were selected for publication.

The origins of the mathematics in this book date back more than two thou sand years, as can be seen from the fact that one of the most important algorithms presented here bears the name of the Greek mathematician Eu clid. The word "algorithm" as well as the key word "algebra" in the title of this book come from the name and the work of the ninth-century scientist Mohammed ibn Musa al-Khowarizmi, who was born in what is now Uzbek istan and worked in Baghdad at the court of Harun al-Rashid's son. The word "algorithm" is actually a westernization of al-Khowarizmi's name, while "algebra" derives from "al-jabr," a term that appears in the title of his book Kitab al-jabr wa'l muqabala, where he discusses symbolic methods for the solution of equations. This close connection between algebra and al gorithms lasted roughly up to the beginning of this century; until then, the primary goal of algebra was the design of constructive methods for solving equations by means of symbolic transformations. During the second half of the nineteenth century, a new line of thought began to enter algebra from the realm of geometry, where it had been successful since Euclid's time, namely, the axiomatic method."

This book provides a comprehensive treatment of Gr bner bases theory embedded in an introduction to commutative algebra from a computational point of view. The centerpiece of Gr bner bases theory is the Buchberger algorithm, which provides a common generalization of the Euclidean algorithm and the Gaussian elimination algorithm to multivariate polynomial rings. The book explains how the Buchberger algorithm and the theory surrounding it are eminently important both for the mathematical theory and for computational applications. A number of results such as optimized version of the Buchberger algorithm are presented in textbook format for the first time. This book requires no prerequisites other than the mathematical maturity of an advanced undergraduate and is therefore well suited for use as a textbook. At the same time, the comprehensive treatment makes it a valuable source of reference on Gr bner bases theory for mathematicians, computer scientists, and others. Placing a strong emphasis on algorithms and their verification, while making no sacrifices in mathematical rigor, the book spans a bridge between mathematics and computer science.