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RantEng14-Alexandrite
14-Alexandrite
December 3, 2025
Question

Things I wish they'd taught me about Mathcad

  • December 3, 2025
  • 3 replies
  • 764 views

So, I'm about to introduce Mathcad to a new bunch of Mechanical Engineers.  I've used Mathcad my whole career (recently retired). To those new to the software, I demonstrate how I use it to document and refine calculations.

 

In the days when I was in the office, I'd sit with Engineers individually and show them several things that are not clearly explained upfront (all the different meanings of the = symbol).  Managing subscripts and indexes, also spotting the difference between them.

 

So, thinking of all the things we learned the hard way, let's think of a collection of what you wish they'd taught you upfront.  Suggestions?

 

Bob Adams, aka RantEng

    3 replies

    DJNewman
    DJNewman18-Opal
    18-Opal
    December 3, 2025

    The first thing you should do is set up a default template, and the first thing you want to do in that template is set up Mathcad in landscape mode. Mathcad is so, so much better in landscape.

    (Unless you're one of those people that rotates their monitor.)


    Edit: Landscape mode is on my mind for lots of reasons recently, but it really took me years to know to switch to landscape mode, and then even longer to actually do this in my default template.

    PTC Marketer Creo and Mathcad. I run their YouTube channels, some Creo campaigns, and all Mathcad campaigns and communications.
      Derbigdog
      Derbigdog15-Moonstone
      15-Moonstone
      December 4, 2025

      These are for PRIME 

      • The difference between setting up a RANGE and a MATRIX in Mathcad.
      • Defining units
      • Things you can't do when setting up a PLOT. 
      • Being able to insert a math function in a text block
      • Formatting HEADERS and FOOTERS

      There are others but these stand out for me.

      The problem for us old timers is we learned many of these things in the original Mathcad and then had to learn them for PRIME.

        P
        ppal_25568718-Opal
        18-Opal
        December 5, 2025

        ppal_0-1764899383097.png

         

        ppal_3-1764899502847.png

        ppal_4-1764899696602.png

         

        ppal_2-1764899448157.png

         

        Eg: 

        ppal_6-1764899978636.png

         

         

          R
          RantEng14-AlexandriteAuthor
          14-Alexandrite
          December 5, 2025

          I've been using Mathcad for 38 years and I still fall into the trap of trying to use to use a counting range as a vector.

           

          Bob

            S
            StuartBruff23-Emerald V
            23-Emerald V
            December 6, 2025
            @ppal_255687 wrote:

            7 Range Variables are Iterators, Not Vectors.

            This is a subtle but vital distinction.

            Defining i:= 1...10 does not create a vector of numbers.  It creates an instruction to iterate.

            You cannot square a range variable (i2) and expect a list of squared numbers unless you define a function or vector first.

             

            @RantEng wrote:

            I've been using Mathcad for 38 years and I still fall into the trap of trying to use to use a counting range as a vector.

             

            Bob

            First point:

             

            And, from years of experience on this forum, that is why when I proposed the Zen of Mathcad, I specifically highlighted Shishin 1 and Shishin 30

             

             

            MEP 00 – The Zen of Mathcad  

            StuartBruff_0-1764983367269.gif

             


            1. >>> Range Variables Are Not Vectors <<<.
            2. Think in two dimensions for layout and data.
            3. Be like Zathras-- cover all possibilities. Zathras does not want other people being confoosed.
            4. Yesterday's friendly hard limits are today's enemies.
            5. Beautiful is better than ugly.
            6. Explicit is better than implicit.
            7. Unless implicit is better.
            8. Simple is better than complex.
            9. Complex is better than complicated.
            10. Flat is better than nested.
            11. Except where it isn't.
            12. Sparse would be nice.
            13. Readability counts.
            14. Now is better than never.
            15. Although never is often better than *right* now.
            16. Functions should work over any data type.
            17. Except where there is no meaning.
            18. Special cases aren't special enough to break the rules.
            19. Although practicality beats purity.
            20. Errors should never pass silently.
            21. Unless explicitly silenced.
            22. But Exceptions should be Exceptional.
            23. In the face of ambiguity, refuse the temptation to guess.
            24. But see Zen 14.
            25. There should be one-- and preferably only one --obvious way to do it.
            26. But don't let that stop you doing it another way.
            27. You'll probably need to-- this is Mathcad.
            28. If the implementation is hard to explain, it's a bad idea.
            29. If the implementation is easy to explain, it may be a good idea.

            30. Yes, vec helps, but >>> Range Variables Are Still Not Vectors <<<.

             

            Please feel free to add your own Shishin or comment on the originals.

             

            Stuart

             

            Shishin (指針)  translates as 'guideline' but also as 'compass needle'. 

             

            https://community.ptc.com/t5/Mathcad/MEP-00-The-Zen-of-Mathcad/m-p/1040983#

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