Mathematica is a computational software program used in scientific, engineering, and mathematical fields and other areas of technical computing. Mathematica seamlessly integrates a numeric and symbolic computational engine, graphics system, programming language, documentation system, and advanced connectivity to other applications.
Platform: Windows, Mac, UNIX/Linux, Mobile, Web
Cost: No charge (Access via App2Go Server)
VCU participates in the statewide license for Mathematica, Mathematica Online, and Wolfram AlphaPro from Wolfram Research Inc. The Wolfram applications, obtained under this VCU site license, may be used:
Mathematica, under the cross-platform license, provides an unlimited number of copies running at any time. The VCU Mathematica license agreement includes "Home Use" licenses for faculty and staff. Home-use licenses are restricted to a desktop computer or laptop owned by the employee. Home-use licenses are automatically registered to the individual who requests the license and may not be transferred to another individual. The Mathematica versions available for use under this site license include:
Mathematica Online was added to the university site license in June 2018. All users must sign up for a Wolfram account and subscribe to Mathematica Online. You may access Mathematica Online from a desktop or mobile device using a Web browser or Mobile app.
Mathematica on App2Go is available for use without installing the application on your computer. Mathematica is accessed via a Web browser using a Windows, Mac, or Linux computer from the App2Go Server. Five (5) concurrent user licenses of Mathematica are available for use by VCU researchers on the App2Go Server.
Mathematica is available to download and install on your computer for the supported formats. Mathematica licenses must be renewed annually to maintain an existing application.
Faculty/staff may register and download Mathematica 12.1.1 for installation on University-owned workstations:
Also note: What's New in Mathematica 12, Mathematica Quick Revision History, and How to uninstall Mathematica.
SEPTEMBER 30, 2020 NOTE: Mathematica licenses expire annually on August 31. Due to the effects of COVID-19 on software licensing in academia, VCU contract renewal negotiations with Wolfram Inc. were not completed before then, and we could not obtain our usual 12-month renewal passwords. However, Wolfram granted VCU a 30-day licensing extension. Today, although close, the renewal negotiations are still not yet complete. And Wolfram has granted us another 30-day licensing extension by providing us with temporary passwords that will extend our current licenses through October 30, 2020. These temporary passwords are available at the links immediately below. After contract renewal has completed and we receive our 12 month passwords, we will make them available at the links below and will send out an email notification to our users.
Mathematica licenses expire annually on August 31. Using the links below, faculty/staff may renew existing Mathematica licenses on University-owned computers through October 30, 2020:
OCTOBER 5, 2020 NOTE:
Mathematica licenses expire annually on August 31, and usually VCU renews its annual contract at that time to extend licensing for another 12 months. However, due to various factors that are unique to this year, including COVID-19, VCU contract renewal negotiations with the vendor, Wolfram Inc., have not yet completed.
Normally, faculty/staff can obtain Mathematica software directly from the vendor, and you will again be able to do so after our contract renewal completes. However, you cannot currently do so during this renewal interim.
However, please note:
After the contract renewal has completed, you will (again) be able to obtain a home use license directly from the vendor, and we will send out an email notification to our users to announce that. Please also check this web page for updates on the situation.
OCTOBER 5, 2020 NOTE:
Mathematica licenses expire annually on August 31, and usually VCU renews its annual contract at that time to extend licensing for another 12 months. However, due to various factors that are unique to this year, including COVID-19, VCU contract renewal negotiations with the vendor, Wolfram Inc., have not yet completed.
Normally, students can obtain Mathematica software directly from the vendor, and you will again be able to do so after our contract renewal completes. However, you cannot currently do so during this renewal interim.
If you have Mathematica already installed and licensed, it should continue to run normally through October 30, 2020, due to a temporary extension provided to us by Wolfram.
Also, Mathematica remains available on our App2Go server, which you access via your web browser (no Mathematica installation required).
After the contract renewal has completed, you will (again) be able to obtain Mathematica directly from the vendor, and we will send out an email notification to our users to announce that. Please also check this web page for updates on the situation.
Mathematica Online allows you to browse, view, edit, and use interactive functions in your Mathematica notebook through the cloud. Providing instant access through the cloud enables the sharing of documents and resources. Mathematica Online may be accessed through a Web browser or mobile app.
Create and validate a Wolfram account (if you don't have one):
Go to http://user.wolfram.com and click Create Account.
Complete the form using your @vcu.edu email and a secure password. VCU Information Security advises NOT to use your VCU eID password.
You will receive an email from Wolfram acknowledging the request. Click the link to validate your account.
Complete a request for Mathematica Online account:
Login to the Wolfram User Portal.
Complete the Mathematica Online Subscription Request Form and Submit.
Login to the Mathematica Online.
Wolfram provides a cloud app to access Mathematica Online through the iOS and Android Mobile devices. Visit the Apple Store or Google Play to download Wolfram Cloud.
Using a Windows, Mac, or Linux computer, you can access Mathematica via a browser window. Although Mathematica runs on the App2Go Citrix® Server, it appears to be running on your PC. You can open, save, and print files from your PC. Applications on the App2Go server are available to support research projects and are not intended for instructional use. Five (5) concurrent use licenses of Mathematica are available for use by VCU researchers on the App2Go Server.
Current VCU faculty, staff, and students may access Mathematica on the App2Go Server for research. Documentation on how to use of the App2Go Server will provide you details such as system requirements, installation, opening files, saving files, and printing.
The first two tutorials are excellent for new users and can be assigned to students as homework to learn Mathematica outside of class time.
Hands-on Start to Mathematica (videos)
Follow along in Mathematica as you watch this multi-part screencast that teaches you the basics—how to create your first notebook, calculations, visualizations, interactive examples, and more.
Hands-on Start to Wolfram Mathematica and Programming with the Wolfram Language (book)
Learn Mathematica at your own pace from authors with 50+ years of combined Mathematica experience—with hands-on examples, end-of-chapter exercises, and authors' tips that introduce you to the breadth of Mathematica with a focus on ease of use.
Mathematica Screencast and Video Gallery
Screencasts and videos provide instruction and tips on how to use Mathematica.
How-To Topics
Access step-by-step instruction ranging from how to create animations to basic syntax information.
Learning Center
Search Wolfram's vast collection of materials for calculations or tutorials in your field of interest.
Tour of Wolfram|Alpha
New to Wolfram|Alpha? Take a tour to learn what you can do with Wolfram|Alpha, and explore additional features you get with Wolfram|Alpha Pro.
Mathematica offers an interactive classroom experience that helps students explore and grasp concepts, plus gives faculty the tools they need to create supporting course materials, assignments, and presentations easily.
Mathematica for Teaching and Education—Free video course
Learn how to make your classroom dynamic with interactive models, explore computation and visualization capabilities in Mathematica that make it useful for teaching practically any subject at any level, and get best-practice suggestions for course integration.
How To Create a Lecture Slideshow—Video tutorial
Learn how to create a slideshow for a class that shows a mixture of graphics, calculations, and nicely formatted text, with live calculations or animations.
Wolfram Demonstrations Project
Download pre-built, open-code examples from a daily-growing collection of interactive visualizations, spanning a remarkable range of topics.
Wolfram Training Education Courses
Access on-demand and live courses on Mathematica, SystemModeler, and other Wolfram technologies.
Rather than requiring different toolkits for different jobs, Mathematica integrates the world's most extensive collection of algorithms, high-performance computing capabilities, and a powerful visualization engine in one coherent system. This system is ideal for academic research in just about any discipline.
Mathematica for University Research—Free video course
Explore Mathematica's high-level and multi-paradigm programming language, support for parallel computing and GPU architectures, built-in functionality for specialized application areas, and multiple publishing and deployment options for sharing your work.
Utilizing HPC and Grid Computing—Free video course
Learn how to create programs that take advantage of multicore machines or available clusters.
Field-Specific Applications
Learn what areas of Mathematica are used for specific fields.
Hands-on Start to Mathematica - Video
Mathematica Library Archive (books, demos, conference proceedings)
The vendor provides support for the use of Mathematica. Contact the IT Support Center if you have an issue with the licensing or installation of Mathematica.
LISTSERV subscribers receive notifications of Mathematica upgrades and maintenance fixes, times to renew Mathematica licenses, Mathematica training opportunities, etc.
To subscribe to the VCU MATHEMATICA-L click on:
Note: Participation in this list is limited to VCU email accounts.