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Wolfram Mathematica Comparative Analyses

Spreadsheets

Spreadsheets
(Excel, OpenOffice Calc, ...)
While highly successful for accounting-related tasks, spreadsheets are generally poorly suited to all but the most basic scientific and technical applications. With their focus on simple arithmetic operations and business graphics, spreadsheets do not support vast areas of computational, analytic, graphical and presentational functionality that have become standard in modern scientific and technical computing.
Mathematica not only provides full technical functionality, but also has a rich interface optimized for technical work. With their rigid tabular interface, spreadsheets refer to data by cell positions, and do not provide readable formulas. Mathematica's document-centered interface immediately allows clear input and presentation of formulas, full display and management of calculation history, as well as structured outlining, inline dynamic graphics, and complete formatted text.
Taking full advantage of modern computing environments, Mathematica's unique design is completely scalable, making it simple to do small calculations, yet also readily supporting huge datasets and complex procedures. With its easy-to-write high-level language, ability to import hundreds of standard data formats, as well as immediate state-of-the-art interactive graphics, Mathematica allows you to get started with the same ease as a spreadsheet, yet provides a full, professional environment that consistently spans all levels of computational work.
Spreadsheet-Like Features in Mathematica:
Key Advantages of Mathematica Compared to Spreadsheets:
Interoperability with Spreadsheets:
Interesting Tidbits:
  • Upgrading from spreadsheets to Mathematica is particularly common among financial analysts
See Also Analyses On: