Hi Tim,
I went into this semester fully expecting to go with Maple. However, I had a discussion with the class and they were unanimous in wanting to use MATLAB. This is a small grad class, but I think their decision will scale to other classes. There were basically two reasons. The first was that MATLAB may be as close as we have to a universal piece of software for technical calculations. The second was that they didn't want to spend a semester learning Mathcad if they'll likely never see again.
I pointed out that Mathcad is more than powerful enough for the class and its interface makes it really easy to use. However, that is not what they valued. Maple is also powerful, though the interface is pretty rough. It also may not good for problems with lots of variables. Mathematica is extremely powerful, but the interface is difficult and it, too, doesn't seem well-suited to problems with lots of variables.
The bottom line is that they were willing to put up with the primitive interface in MATLAB (they described it as a 1980's interface) and the steep learning curve in order to get the power and the universality. It will do just about anything and can handle problems of any size. They also quickly came to appreciate the worldwide ecosystem built around MATLAB. I like MATLAB because I originally learned FORTRAN and MATLAB looked like a logical extension of that. Even so, the syntax can be tough. I was surprised they were willing to put up with the interface and the need to program, but they understood they were learning skills that would serve them for a long time. That made the difference. Not what I expected.
I'm a big fan of Mathcad, starting with V1.1, but I have to agree with their reasoning. All the homework and most of the examples for the class were in MATLAB. However, I did use Mathcad at times when I needed to show something quickly in class. They got to see the ease of use, but none of them picked it up on their own, even through the trial version is free. They are big on standards and compatibility and they know they can't easily share Mathcad files because there are so few users. I don't think any of them had seen Mathcad anywhere, but this class and that was just too high a hurdle. I would love to see Mathcad be free to students, but that's a pretty tough business model. PTC could certainly be forgiven for not wanting to do that.
The next step is how to introduce numerical software in my sophomore class (80 students this semester). The undergrads strongly prefer widely used software and are understandably big on activities that build marketable skills. Both of those point toward MATLAB, but the learning curve is more of a problem for the undergrads. That said, lots of companies hiring our students want MATLAB skills (or at least give credit for them when evaluating resumes), but I don't recall ever seeing one looking for Mathcad. Perhaps it would be an attractive thing for companies looking for graduates skilled with Creo. Not sure. I'll probably just ask the undergrads whether they want to use Mathcad or MATLAB after I explains the benefits and problems with each.
Sorry for the wall of text. I just wanted to make sure I captured the details.
Mark
