250
M.
C.
Nucci
1.
automatic packages where you put in your equation and get the
answer without any interaction with the computer. Perhaps
the best example is SPDE by
F.
Schwarz
[25]
which runs with
REDUCE version
3.3
and higher
[la];
2.
interactive programs which require the user
to
make specific
choices at different stages of the computation. An example is
[13]
which also runs with REDUCE.
In the following we emphasize the differences between these two
methods.
For
this purpose we make
a
comparison
of
SPDE and
[13].
The former is able to find classical symmetries of many type
of
differential equations with the following exceptions:
0
equations with arbitrary functions
of
the unknown and its
derivatives,
as
utt
=
[f(u)uZ], [2];
0
overdetermined system
of
equations.
Unfortunately, because SPDE is not reliable all the time, interactive
programs must be used. In
[13]
such programs were developed. They
should be able to handle the above equations and also find their Lie-
Backlund symmetries
[4], [22],
[6],
but:
0
they require
a
good knowledge of LISP
[ll];
0
the non-expert user cannot modify them for his own needs (e.g.
finding the non-classical symmetries
151,
[IS]).
In an effort
to
overcome these problems, we have developed
[17]
easy
to
use interactive programs which do not require an in-depth knowl-
edge of LISP
or
REDUCE. In fact, to use them one only needs
to know
a
single LISP command and have
a
very basic familiar-
ity with REDUCE (version
3.3
or
higher).
The programs labelled
GA automatically construct the determining equations for the clas-
sical symmetries; with only minor modifications,
all
the other
pro-
grams are derived. They calculate the non-classical (SGA), and the
Lie-Backlund
(GS)
symmetries of any differential equation.
When
any of these programs is loaded, REDUCE will automatically run
it and construct the determining equations. At this point the user