Re: [Maxima-discuss] Feature request: step by step

[Raymond T. <toy...@gm...>]

On 1/14/26 11:19 AM, Richard Fateman wrote:

> If you are expecting Maxima to improve your math skills as in some of 
> the on-line tutoring programs,
> by some nearly automatic process  (like tracing existing programs), 
> that is highly unlikely to work.
>
> Elaborating on Stavros' note -- typically Maxima DOES NOT USE THE 
> STEPS USED BY BEGINNING
> STUDENTS OF ALGEBRA, CALCULUS, ETC.

Exactly.

But really, what is the goal of seeing the step-by-step solution? If 
you're a calc 1 student, would it be useful to know that uses keyhole 
integration over the complex plane to evaluate some definite integrals? 
I suppose for motivated students, that would encourage them to learn new 
math, but I suspect that would basically turn off most students. 
(Perhaps even worse now when you hear stories about how college students 
can't do basic arithmetic.)

And would this be better done by looking up Youtube videos that explain 
how to solve interesting problems? I think blackpenredpen is really good 
for calc 1/2 level math. For more interesting questions, I like Michael 
Penn. Maths 505 has really interesting integration and diffeq problems. 
Maxima can't do most of them, I think.

There are zillions of math channels on Youtube.

>
> 2. There is a mystique of "calculus is hard, uses heuristics, requires 
> intelligence and problem-solving" promoted by
> teachers, textbooks, etc.
Well, I think that's kind of true when it comes to integration. If you 
watch Maths 505 doing integrals, many of them uses insights that I would 
not think of doing. Maybe I could, if I spent enough time to thinking 
about them, but probably not.
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