Questions on Mathematica packages, which are self-contained bundles of Mathematica code that add new functions and other functionality.

Packages are self-contained bundles of Mathematica code that add new functions and other functionality. They are called using the code Needs["myPackage`"]. Each package uses its own namespace, called Context.

See the official documentation for help on how to set up your own packages. These can be written either in Mathematica itself or using Wolfram Workbench.

On the Wolfram site one will find standard extra packages as well as quite a few Mathematica applications developed from other sources. There is the mathematica-users.org list and a reference for tensor software on wikipedia.

Grassmann, Exterior, Clifford and Geometric algebra packages

Geometric algebra, or Clifford algebra, is a powerful mathematical language that contains vector algebra as a subsystem. It has applications across a range of subjects in physics and engineering, and is well suited to symbolic and numeric computations using Mathematica because of its very regular structure.1

Plotting and Graphics Packages

  • LevelScheme, now called SciDraw: "Publication-quality scientific figures with Mathematica"
    LevelScheme Poster

  • David Park's Presentations Package: This package adds LOTS of custom graphics and other helper functions to Mathematica.
    two-axis plot

  • CurvesGraphics: allows for easily placing arrows along curves (in 2D or 3D space) produced by Plot, ParametricPlot, ParametricPlot3D, and ContourPlot and along the solutions to differential equations given by NDSolve; drawing parametric, contour or stream curves or text on a surface in 3D space, or the intersection line of two surfaces, all curves with optional arrows along them.
    Mobius