Get Mathematica
CMC's license gives you your own activation key. Request the key first, then download Mathematica from the Wolfram portal and enter the key during installation.
Request your activation key ↗Already have a key? Go straight to the Wolfram portal downloads.
Overview
Mathematica is Wolfram's symbolic and numerical computing system, used across CMC's sciences and mathematics departments for algebra, calculus, differential equations, visualization, and general technical computing. Where MATLAB leans numerical, Mathematica does symbolic work — it will hand you an exact answer, not just a number.
CMC licenses it for current students, staff, and faculty, on office, lab, classroom, and personal computers. Access is by activation key: you request a key tied to your CMC identity, and it renews automatically each year for as long as you are at the college.
Getting Mathematica Installed
Request an activation key
Open CMC's Wolfram portal registration page. Sign in with your Wolfram ID, or create one — register it with your CMC email address, since Wolfram checks the domain against CMC's license. If your address is rejected, contact the Help Desk rather than registering a personal address.
Choose the version
Select the latest Mathematica release, and pick any department from the dropdown — the choice does not affect what you receive.
Keep the activation key
Your key arrives in the format XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXX. Save it somewhere you can find again — you will need it at the end of the install, and again if you rebuild your machine.
Download from the Wolfram portal
Go to the Wolfram portal, choose Get Downloads, and select the Mathematica direct download for macOS or Windows.
Install and activate
Run the installer, then enter your activation key when Mathematica asks for it on first launch. The license renews automatically each year while you are enrolled or employed at CMC.
Who It Is For
Mathematics and physics students working symbolically — solving, simplifying, and plotting rather than approximating.
Faculty preparing course materials, notebooks, and demonstrations, on a personal machine as readily as an office one.
Anyone in a lab — Mathematica is pre-installed on lab and classroom computers, so you can start there and install your own copy later.
Trouble With Your Activation Key?
The Help Desk can confirm your eligibility, re-issue a key, or help with an installation that will not activate.
Contact the Help Desk →