Software

  This text is supported by DELab, a graphical user interface to MATLAB's powerful suite of tools. Users can either enter directly or select from a list a differential equation or a system, then choose to find an analytic (symbolic) solution, a numerical approximation, or a graphical display. DELab has been designed to meet two goals: providing easy access to MATLAB without introducing unnecessary limitations and fostering effective use of MATLAB's full capabilities.

DELab requires no knowledge of MATLAB, and use of its interface is largely self-evident, though on-line help is available. However, users who are familiar with MATLAB can return most symbolic, numerical, or graphical results from DELab to the MATLAB command window for further study or otherwise exploit MATLAB's vast capabilities to perform a deeper analysis.

For example, a symbolic solution found through DELab can be placed in the MATLAB command window as a new symbolic variable so that the user can find formulas for inflection points. Or it could be put into an inline function so that the user could draw a surface plot illustrating variation in behavior with time and initial value.

DELab requires MATLAB 5.2 and its symbolic toolbox or the student edition of MATLAB. More information about DELab as well as the code itself is available from www.wpi.edu/$\sim$pwdavis/DELab