A study of the development of a heuristic program that solves symbolic Laplace transformation problems

A medium-speed general purpose digital computer (IBM 1620 Model II) was programmed to solve symbolic Laplace transformation problems. Although the applied mathematician and modern engineer has many uses for the symbolic solution of a problem, the potential of symbolic manipulation by a computer has not yet been sufficiently developed to help them because of many problems. This paper discusses the program and based on the author’s experience with it’s [sic] performance, clarifies the position of several of these difficulties and reaches some conclusions concerning computer solution of such problems --Abstract, page ii