Magma computer algebra system - Definition and Overview

Magma is a computer algebra system designed to solve problems in algebra, number theory, geometry and combinatorics. It is named after the algebraic structure magma. The current version as of May 2004 is 2.11. It is non-commercial software, but licenses can cost hundreds of dollars per processor. It runs mainly on the Unix-like and Linux based operating systems, but also supports DOS and Windows.

Magma is produced and distributed by the Computational Algebra Group within the School of Mathematics and Statistics of the University of Sydney. The predecessor of the Magma system was called "Cayley".

Magma contains many of the most sophisticated and efficient known algorithms for its calculations. However, its cost makes it difficult to obtain outside of a university setting. GAP is a free computer algebra system with a similar focus. However, its functionality is a subset of Magma's.

External link

• Magma website (http://magma.maths.usyd.edu.au/magma/)
• Magma's High Performance for computing Groebner Bases (http://magma.maths.usyd.edu.au/users/allan/gb)