Combining Functional Equations and Computer Algebra Systems with Regard to XXI Century Mathematics Education

This paper explores the interplay between functional equations and computer algebra systems in order to derive consistent mathematical models of problems arising in different scientific and engineering fields. In particular, we claim that this combination of both techniques is particularly useful to assist our students to grasp the essential of mathematical modeling and selection of models for such problems as well as to solve them in an unified way. This scheme is illustrated by means of some examples of economical models. In this approach, functional equations are used to reach the mathematical expressions of the economical models for monopoly and duopoly, while a Mathematica package called FSolve is used to solve them symbolically.