Mathcad is a software package for performing scientific calculations, either numerically or symbolically. Its interface allows you to create reports, i.e. worksheets that combine calculations and the text needed to understand an engineering project. The handwriting is as if it were handwritten, which makes it incomparably legible. This makes it possible to attach spreadsheets to reports.

Symbolic calculations are quite powerful, and include Lapalce, Inverse, z-transformations, etc. Resolutions of ODEs, PDEs, ODE systems, etc.

This software was introduced by the American company MathSoft in the 80s, with great success due to its innovative features. Then, in 2006, the French company PTC bought MathSoft and continued to develop MathCad until 2015. In 2016, MathCAd 15 was abandoned in favour of a new version called MathCad Prime, which was much more industry-oriented than the more scientific MathCad.

Personally, I've been using MathCad since it was launched, having bought one of the first versions for myself, and then, really liking it, I had it purchased by FRAMATOME to be able to calculate tank levels, saturation margins, uncertainty on nstrument chains, etc. I've also been using it for my own research and development work. An absolute must-have, which for me remains unequal in form.

Of course, today's leading mathematical calculators are MATHEMATICA (US) and its direct competitor MAPLE (CANADA). These two software packages are capable of real prowess in formal calculation, signal processing, ODE resolution, and so on. The spreadsheets are written in a mixture of script and handwriting.

I'm sorry for the French in the MATHCAD examples

1st example with transfer function and symbolic resolution

Second example with recurrence equation

MathCad is capable of handling this type of calculation at least as well as EXCEL, and in a much more legible way, since the equations are written in clear text as if they were handwritten. The computed values are are perfectly in line with the theoretical values.

Third example with another form of recurrence equation

Comparison betwen the theoretical values (yt) and the computed values (ym):