Edmund A. Lamagna is a professor of computer science at the University of Rhode Island. His professional interests lie at the intersection of computer science and mathematics. In particular, he has contributed to the fields of computer algebra and to the design and analysis of algorithms. In recent years, Ed has become interested in technical and societal aspects of cybersecuity and personal privacy. Throughout his career, he has been involved in the development of innovative approaches for teaching and learning mathematics and computer science.
This is a very clearly written introductory textbook on computer algebra systems (CAS), focussing on some of the subject's commonly-used algorithms. It is aimed at beginners and assumes a good background in college algebra along with first-year calculus. It covers representative algorithms in a variety of areas, and these are done in enough detail that you would be able to implement them yourself if you wanted. [. . . .] The present book has just enough to get you started in computer algebra, and does a very good job of it. -Allen Stenger, MAA Reviews