# Using Octave

In this first unit we will discuss our tools. Of course, the really important part is the logic behind numerical computation, but nonetheless the calculations can not be done on our heads!

Our basic tool will be the octave package. It is free software, a high level interpreted language, very similar to MatLab.

If you do not know what this means exactly, don’t worry. The program is installed in the computer rooms of the university, under linux. You can also install it at home under Windows or Mac, see. It even works under Android.

Warning: Learning programming without a computer can be a very frustrating experience. Seriously, get a running octave environment before proceeding.

## Exercises

The purpose of these exercises is to check your understanding. If you have any difficulties, contact your teacher by e-mail or personally.

• Show, in a single command, the logarithms of the first 10 natural numbers.
• Sum the cubes of all the natural numbers under 20.
• Starting from 1, how many consecutive perfect squares do you have to add up in order to reach one million?