mathjs vs decimal.js vs numeric
JavaScript Mathematical Libraries
mathjsdecimal.jsnumericSimilar Packages:

JavaScript Mathematical Libraries

JavaScript mathematical libraries provide developers with powerful tools to perform complex mathematical operations, manage precision, and handle numerical data effectively. These libraries are essential for applications requiring accurate calculations, such as financial applications, scientific computing, and data analysis. Each library offers unique features tailored to different use cases, making it crucial for developers to choose the right one based on their specific needs.

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mathjs2,398,04615,0249.41 MB1802 months agoApache-2.0
decimal.js07,159284 kB189 months agoMIT
numeric01,448-6913 years ago-

Feature Comparison: mathjs vs decimal.js vs numeric

Precision Handling

  • mathjs:

    mathjs offers built-in support for precision handling, allowing users to specify the number of decimal places for calculations. However, it primarily uses JavaScript's native number type, which can lead to precision issues for very large or small values.

  • decimal.js:

    decimal.js provides arbitrary precision for decimal numbers, allowing for accurate financial calculations without the pitfalls of floating-point arithmetic. It supports operations on very large or very small numbers without losing precision.

  • numeric:

    numeric focuses on numerical methods and linear algebra but does not inherently provide arbitrary precision. It is designed for performance rather than precision, making it less suitable for applications requiring high precision.

Functionality

  • mathjs:

    mathjs is a versatile library that covers a wide range of mathematical functions, including basic arithmetic, algebra, calculus, statistics, and matrix operations, making it suitable for a broad spectrum of mathematical applications.

  • decimal.js:

    decimal.js is specialized for decimal arithmetic, providing a limited set of functions focused on precision and accuracy, such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, along with rounding and formatting options.

  • numeric:

    numeric is tailored for numerical analysis, offering functions for matrix operations, numerical integration, and solving differential equations, making it ideal for scientific computing and engineering tasks.

Ease of Use

  • mathjs:

    mathjs has a rich API that may require some learning but provides extensive documentation and examples. Its wide range of functionalities can be overwhelming for beginners but offers great flexibility for advanced users.

  • decimal.js:

    decimal.js has a straightforward API that is easy to learn, especially for developers familiar with basic arithmetic operations. Its focus on decimal arithmetic makes it intuitive for financial applications.

  • numeric:

    numeric has a more specialized API focused on numerical methods, which may have a steeper learning curve for those unfamiliar with linear algebra concepts. However, it is well-documented for users with a mathematical background.

Performance

  • mathjs:

    mathjs balances performance and functionality, providing efficient calculations for most mathematical operations. However, its performance may vary depending on the complexity of the operations and the size of the data being processed.

  • decimal.js:

    decimal.js is optimized for precision but may have slower performance compared to native JavaScript numbers due to its arbitrary precision handling, making it suitable for applications where accuracy is paramount over speed.

  • numeric:

    numeric is designed for performance in numerical computations, particularly with matrix operations, making it one of the faster options for numerical analysis tasks.

Community and Support

  • mathjs:

    mathjs boasts a larger community and extensive documentation, with numerous examples and tutorials available, making it easier for developers to find support and resources.

  • decimal.js:

    decimal.js has a smaller community compared to the others, but it is actively maintained and has sufficient documentation for its intended use cases, particularly in financial applications.

  • numeric:

    numeric has a niche community focused on numerical analysis, with good documentation but fewer resources compared to more general libraries like mathjs.

How to Choose: mathjs vs decimal.js vs numeric

  • mathjs:

    Select mathjs for a comprehensive mathematics library that includes a wide range of functions, matrix operations, and support for symbolic mathematics, making it suitable for scientific and engineering applications.

  • decimal.js:

    Choose decimal.js if you need precise decimal arithmetic for financial calculations, as it avoids floating-point errors and supports arbitrary precision.

  • numeric:

    Opt for numeric if you require a library focused on numerical analysis and linear algebra, particularly for tasks involving matrix computations and numerical methods.

README for mathjs

math.js

https://mathjs.org

Math.js is an extensive math library for JavaScript and Node.js. It features a flexible expression parser with support for symbolic computation, comes with a large set of built-in functions and constants, and offers an integrated solution to work with different data types like numbers, big numbers, complex numbers, fractions, units, and matrices. Powerful and easy to use.

Version Downloads Build Status Maintenance License FOSSA Status Codecov Github Sponsor

Features

  • Supports numbers, bignumbers, bigints, complex numbers, fractions, units, strings, arrays, and matrices.
  • Is compatible with JavaScript's built-in Math library.
  • Contains a flexible expression parser.
  • Does symbolic computation.
  • Comes with a large set of built-in functions and constants.
  • Can be used as a command line application as well.
  • Runs on any JavaScript engine.
  • Is easily extensible.
  • Open source.

Usage

Math.js can be used in both node.js and in the browser.

Install math.js using npm:

npm install mathjs

Or download mathjs via one of the CDN's listed on the downloads page:

    https://mathjs.org/download.html

Math.js can be used similar to JavaScript's built-in Math library. Besides that, math.js can evaluate expressions and supports chained operations.

import {
  atan2, chain, derivative, e, evaluate, log, pi, pow, round, sqrt
} from 'mathjs'

// functions and constants
round(e, 3)                    // 2.718
atan2(3, -3) / pi              // 0.75
log(10000, 10)                 // 4
sqrt(-4)                       // 2i
pow([[-1, 2], [3, 1]], 2)      // [[7, 0], [0, 7]]
derivative('x^2 + x', 'x')     // 2 * x + 1

// expressions
evaluate('12 / (2.3 + 0.7)')   // 4
evaluate('12.7 cm to inch')    // 5 inch
evaluate('sin(45 deg) ^ 2')    // 0.5
evaluate('9 / 3 + 2i')         // 3 + 2i
evaluate('det([-1, 2; 3, 1])') // -7

// chaining
chain(3)
    .add(4)
    .multiply(2)
    .done()  // 14

See the Getting Started for a more detailed tutorial.

Browser support

Math.js works on any ES2020 compatible JavaScript engine, including node.js, Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge.

Documentation

Build

First clone the project from github:

git clone git@github.com:josdejong/mathjs.git
cd mathjs

Install the project dependencies:

npm install

Then, the project can be build by executing the build script via npm:

npm run build

This will build ESM output, CommonJS output, and the bundle math.js from the source files and put them in the folder lib.

Develop

When developing new features for mathjs, it is good to be aware of the following background information.

Code

The code of mathjs is written in ES modules, and requires all files to have a real, relative path, meaning the files must have a *.js extension. Please configure adding file extensions on auto import in your IDE.

Architecture

What mathjs tries to achieve is to offer an environment where you can do calculations with mixed data types, like multiplying a regular number with a Complex number or a BigNumber, and work with all of those in matrices. Mathjs also allows to add a new data type with little effort.

The solution that mathjs uses has two main ingredients:

  • Typed functions. All functions are created using typed-function. This makes it easier to (dynamically) create and extend a single function with new data types, automatically do type conversions on function inputs, etc. So, if you create function multiply for two numbers, you can extend it with support for multiplying your own data type, say MyDecimal. If you define a conversion from MyDecimal to number, the typed-function will automatically allow you to multiply a MyDecimal with a number.

  • Dependency injection. When we have a function multiply with support for MyDecimal, thanks to the dependency injection, other functions using multiply under the hood, like prod, will automatically support MyDecimal too. This also works the other way around: if you don't need the heavyweight multiply (which supports BigNumbers, matrices, etc), and you just need a plain and simple number support, you can use a lightweight implementation of multiply just for numbers, and inject that in prod and other functions.

At the lowest level, mathjs has immutable factory functions which create immutable functions. The core function math.create(...) creates a new instance having functions created from all passed factory functions. A mathjs instance is a collection of created functions. It contains a function like math.import to allow extending the instance with new functions, which can then be used in the expression parser.

Implementing a new function

A common case is to implement a new function. This involves the following steps:

  • Implement the function in the right category, for example ./src/function/arithmetic/myNewFunction.js, where you can replace arithmetic with the proper category, and myNewFunction with the name of the new function. Add the new function to the index files ./src/factoriesAny.js and possibly ./src/factoriesNumber.js.
  • Write documentation on the function in the source code comment of myNewFunction.js. This documentation is used to auto generate documentation on the website. It should include a History section with one line, indicating the upcoming version number in which the function will be created.
  • Write embedded documentation for the new function in ./src/expression/embeddedDocs/function/arithmetic/myNewFunction.js. Add the new documentation to the index file ./src/expression/embeddedDocs/embeddedDocs.js.
  • Write unit tests for the function in ./test/unit-tests/function/arithmetic/myNewFunction.test.js.
  • Write the necessary TypeScript definitions for the new function in ./types/index.d.ts, and write tests for it in ./test/typescript-tests/testTypes.ts. This is described in ./types/EXPLANATION.md -- make sure to read that page, as Typescript definitions must be added in multiple places in the code.
  • Ensure the code style is ok by running npm run lint (run npm run format to fix the code style automatically).

Build scripts

The build script currently generates two types of output:

  • any, generate entry points to create full versions of all functions
  • number: generating and entry points to create lightweight functions just supporting number

For each function, an object is generated containing the factory functions of all dependencies of the function. This allows to just load a specific set of functions, and not load or bundle any other functionality. So for example, to just create function add you can do math.create(addDependencies).

Test

To execute tests for the library, install the project dependencies once:

npm install

Then, the tests can be executed:

npm test

To test the type definitions:

npm run test:types

Additionally, the tests can be run on FireFox using headless mode:

npm run test:browser

To run the tests remotely on LambdaTest, first set the environment variables LT_USERNAME and LT_ACCESS_KEY with your username and access key and then execute:

npm run test:lambdatest

You can separately run the code linter, though it is also executed with npm test:

npm run lint

To automatically fix linting issue, run:

npm run format

To test code coverage of the tests:

npm run coverage

To see the coverage results, open the generated report in your browser:

./coverage/lcov-report/index.html

Continuous integration testing

Continuous integration tests are run on GitHub Actions and TestMu AI (formerly LambdaTest) every time a commit is pushed to GitHub. GitHub Actions runs the tests for different versions of node.js, and TestMu AI runs the tests on all major browsers.

TestMu AI

Thanks, GitHub Actions and TestMu AI for the generous free hosting of this open source project!

License

mathjs is published under the Apache 2.0 license:

Copyright (C) 2013-2026 Jos de Jong <wjosdejong@gmail.com>

Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
You may obtain a copy of the License at

   https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0

Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
limitations under the License.

mathjs contains a JavaScript port of the CSparse library, published under the LGPL-2.1+ license:

CSparse: a Concise Sparse matrix package.
Copyright (c) 2006, Timothy A. Davis.
http://www.suitesparse.com

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CSparse is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
modify it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public
License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either
version 2.1 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.

CSparse is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the GNU
Lesser General Public License for more details.

You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public
License along with this Module; if not, write to the Free Software
Foundation, Inc., 51 Franklin St, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA  02110-1301  USA