Symbolic Script Programming for Java

Abstract: Computer algebra in Java is a promising field of development. It has not yet reached an industrial strength, in part because of a lack of good user interfaces. Using a general purpose scripting language can bring a natural mathematical notation, akin to the one of specialized interfaces included in most computer algebra systems. We present such an interface for Java computer algebra libraries, using scripts available in the JSR 223 framework. We introduce the concept of `symbolic programming' and show its usefulness by prototypes of symbolic polynomials and polynomial rings.