Related articles * [Scientific Applications](/index.php/Scientific_Applications "Scientific Applications") * [Sage-mathematics](/index.php/Sage-mathematics "Sage-mathematics") * [Matlab](/index.php/Matlab "Matlab") [Mathematica](http://www.wolfram.com/mathematica/) is a commercial program used in scientific, engineering and mathematical fields. Here we explain how to install it. ## Contents * [1 Installation](#Installation) * [1.1 Mathematica 6](#Mathematica_6) * [1.1.1 Mounting iso](#Mounting_iso) * [1.1.2 Running the Installer](#Running_the_Installer) * [1.1.3 Fonts](#Fonts) * [1.2 Mathematica 7](#Mathematica_7) * [1.3 Mathematica 8](#Mathematica_8) * [1.4 Mathematica 10](#Mathematica_10) * [1.5 Mathematica 11](#Mathematica_11) * [2 Troubleshooting](#Troubleshooting) * [2.1 Missing symbols](#Missing_symbols) * [2.2 HiDPI / Retina Screens](#HiDPI_.2F_Retina_Screens) * [2.3 Conflicts with system libraries](#Conflicts_with_system_libraries) * [2.3.1 Symbol lookup error: /usr/lib/libfontconfig.so.1: undefined symbol: FT_Done_MM_Var](#Symbol_lookup_error:_.2Fusr.2Flib.2Flibfontconfig.so.1:_undefined_symbol:_FT_Done_MM_Var) * [2.3.2 Mathematica/11.3/SystemFiles/Libraries/Linux-x86-64/libz.so.1: version `ZLIB_1.2.9' not found (required by /usr/lib/libpng16.so.16)](#Mathematica.2F11.3.2FSystemFiles.2FLibraries.2FLinux-x86-64.2Flibz.so.1:_version_.60ZLIB_1.2.9.27_not_found_.28required_by_.2Fusr.2Flib.2Flibpng16.so.16.29) * [3 See also](#See_also) ## Installation Since Mathematica is a non-free application and upgrades may incur costs, this section lists instructions for different available versions. ### Mathematica 6 #### Mounting iso One way to mount the Mathematica `.iso` is to create a `/media/iso` mount directory and add the following line to the [fstab](/index.php/Fstab "Fstab"): ``` /*location/of/mathematica.iso* /media/iso iso9660 exec,ro,user,noauto,loop=/dev/loop0 0 0 ``` Now you can mount it with: ``` # mount /media/iso ``` #### Running the Installer You can start the installer by navigating to: ``` /Unix/Installer ``` Run *MathInstaller* with: ``` sh ./MathInstaller ``` **Note:** If you do not place the "sh" in front, then you will get an error about a bad interpreter. #### Fonts Add the directories containing Type1 and BDF fonts to your FontPath. ### Mathematica 7 Mathematica 7 is much easier to install. ``` tar xf Mathematica-7.0.1.tar.gz cd Unix/Installer ./MathInstaller ``` Follow instructions. For KDE users, the Mathematica icon may appear in the *Lost & Found* category. To solve this, execute the following as root: ``` # ln -s /etc/xdg/menus/applications-merged /etc/xdg/menus/kde-applications-merged ``` ### Mathematica 8 An issue with Mathematica 8 is a reproducible crash when performing WolframAlpha[] functions. By default, Mathematica is configured to detect the system's proxy settings when configuring how to connect to the internet to fetch data. A "bug" exists that will eventually crash Mathematica when the calling library is used. A workaround is to avoid this library call altogether by configuring Mathematica to "directly connect" to the internet. (*Edit > Preferences > Internet Connectivity > Proxy Settings*). This bug has been reported to Wolfram. ### Mathematica 10 [Install](/index.php/Install "Install") [mathematica](https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/mathematica/) (need historical version). The `Mathematica_10.XX.YY_LINUX.sh` installation script is required; you will need to download this separately from Wolfram.com, your university, etc. You will also need an activation key. ### Mathematica 11 [Install](/index.php/Install "Install") [mathematica](https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/mathematica/). Obtain `Mathematica_11.XX.YY_LINUX.sh` from Wolfram Research, along with an activation key. Successful install may throw non-critical errors: xdg-icon-resource, mkdir, xdg-desktop-menu. Mathematica 11 automatically creates a document folder 'Wolfram Mathematica' in [$UserDocumentsDirectory](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/$UserDocumentsDirectory.html), which is set by Mathematica according to [XDG user directories](/index.php/XDG_user_directories "XDG user directories"). ## Troubleshooting ### Missing symbols If you have font rendering problems where certain symbols do not show up (i.e. `/` appears as a square), try uninstalling [font-mathematica](https://www.archlinux.org/packages/?name=font-mathematica). Also, try [this](http://mathematica.stackexchange.com/questions/1158/invisible-conjugate-glyph-in-the-linux-frontend) solution. It also states the issue is fixed with Mathematica version 9. Try having applications use anti-aliasing. For KDE: *System Settings > Application Appearance > Fonts > Use anti-aliasing (Enabled)* ### HiDPI / Retina Screens If you have a [HiDPI](/index.php/HiDPI "HiDPI") screen, such as an Apple Retina display, and the main text in Mathematica looks small when you open it, this can be fixed: * Go to *Edit → Preferences* * From the *Advanced* tab, click *Open Option Inspector* * In the tree on the right, go to *Formatting Options → Font Options → Font Properties* * Change the value for *"ScreenResolution"* to double its current setting, e.g. 72 → 144\. You can also use `xdpyinfo | grep resolution` to get a more precise number (which will need to be doubled). ### Conflicts with system libraries The Mathematica package includes a number of it's own libraries, located in /SystemFiles/Libraries/Linux-x86-64\. They may lead to some compatibility issues and fallback to the system versions of some of these libraries may be necessary. #### Symbol lookup error: /usr/lib/libfontconfig.so.1: undefined symbol: FT_Done_MM_Var Force Mathematica to use the system version of the freetype library. ``` # cd /SystemFiles/Libraries/Linux-x86-64 # mv libfreetype.so.6 libfreetype.so.6.old ``` #### Mathematica/11.3/SystemFiles/Libraries/Linux-x86-64/libz.so.1: version `ZLIB_1.2.9' not found (required by /usr/lib/libpng16.so.16) Force Mathematica to use the system version of the zlib library. ``` # cd /SystemFiles/Libraries/Linux-x86-64 # mv libz.so.1 libz.so.1.old ``` ## See also * [Official site](http://www.wolfram.com/mathematica/) * [Official Support](http://www.wolfram.com/support/)