Mathtech

Mathtech was an American technical and economic consulting business associated with the historical Mathematica organization. It operated as the technical and economic consulting group within Mathematica, alongside the Mathematica Products Group and Mathematica Policy Research. Whereas the Products Group was known for RAMIS, a fourth-generation programming language, Mathtech handled research projects and computer systems other than RAMIS, combining analytical, technical, and economic consulting work. The business emerged during the period when Mathematica was expanding beyond its original Princeton academic and economic-policy roots. Mathematica had developed from organizations connected with industrial and market research and from a consultancy established by Princeton economists, including Oskar Morgenstern. After Mathematica was spun off as an independent corporation in 1968, its activities were organized into several specialist divisions. Mathtech represented the part of that structure focused on applied technical and economic work rather than software products or social-policy experiments. The historical Mathtech business was distinct from Mathematica Policy Research, although both belonged to the same corporate organization. Mathematica Policy Research concentrated on social experiments, surveys, and policy evaluation, while Mathtech worked on technical studies, economic analysis, and computer systems. This distinction is important because later references to Mathematica, Inc. primarily concern the policy-research successor, not Mathtech itself. In 1983, Martin Marietta acquired the outstanding stock of Mathematica. During the subsequent restructuring, Mathtech was spun off in 1986 and became employee-owned. The spin-off separated the consulting unit from the corporate parent and from the other Mathematica businesses. Mathematica Policy Research was also purchased by employees in 1986 and retained the Mathematica name, while the software business followed a separate path through later ownership changes. Publicly available reference material provides limited information about Mathtech's later corporate development, current operations, leadership, financial performance, and product portfolio. The supplied website identifies a Mathtech presence, but the available materials do not establish whether the historical employee-owned company remains active under the same structure or how its activities evolved after the spin-off. Mathtech is therefore best documented as a historically significant technical and economic consulting business linked to the original Mathematica group, with its current status requiring verification.

Mathtech's history is tied to the development of Mathematica, an American research and consulting organization with roots in Princeton's academic and economic-policy community. The broader organization originated through earlier industrial and market-research activities. Industrial Surveys Company, founded by Samuel G. Barton in the late 1930s, merged with the Market Research Corporation of America in 1951. In 1958, economist Oskar Morgenstern and other Princeton professors established a consultancy that became part of the Market Research Corporation of America in 1959. The resulting organization was known as Mathematica during the 1960s. Mathematica was spun off as an independent corporation in 1968 to permit more rapid growth. Oskar Morgenstern remained chairman. The new corporation developed several lines of business rather than operating as a single-purpose consultancy. Its three principal divisions were the Mathematica Products Group, Mathematica Policy Research, and Mathtech. The Products Group became associated with RAMIS, a fourth-generation programming language. Mathematica Policy Research specialized in social experiments and surveys. Mathtech served as the technical and economic consulting division, undertaking research projects and developing or supporting computer systems other than RAMIS. Mathtech therefore occupied an intermediate position between conventional consulting and applied technology services. Its work was connected to the research orientation of Mathematica, but it was not the division primarily identified with randomized social-policy experiments. The separation of these functions allowed the wider organization to pursue software, policy research, and technical-economic studies through different operating groups. From 1968 through the early 1980s, Mathematica was largely owned by a group of Princeton mathematics and economics professors. As those shareholders aged, they began selling their interests. Mathematica carried out a three-for-two stock split in 1982 in preparation for a change in ownership, and Martin Marietta acquired all outstanding Mathematica stock in 1983. The acquisition initiated a reorganization of the three divisions. The software business was renamed Mathematica & Oxford Software and was later sold to On-Line Software International in 1986 before becoming part of Computer Associates in 1991. Mathtech followed a different route: it was spun off from the Martin Marietta-owned Mathematica structure in 1986 and became employee-owned. Mathematica Policy Research was also purchased by employees in 1986 and continued separately, preserving the Mathematica name. The available reference material does not provide a continuous account of Mathtech's post-1986 leadership, acquisitions, offices, financial results, major contracts, or later corporate status. It also does not establish a detailed product catalog in the consumer-brand sense. Mathtech is consequently best understood as a professional-services and applied-technology business whose documented importance lies in its role within the original Mathematica corporate family and in its transition to employee ownership. The supplied website may represent a continuing or successor presence, but that relationship requires further verification.

• 1986

  Mathtech becomes employee-owned

  [1]Mathematica Inc.en.wikipedia.org

  Mathtech was spun off from the Mathematica organization and became an employee-owned company.

• 1983

  Martin Marietta acquires Mathematica

  [1]Mathematica Inc.en.wikipedia.org

  Martin Marietta acquired all outstanding stock of Mathematica, bringing Mathtech into a new corporate ownership structure.

• 1982

  Mathematica stock split

  [1]Mathematica Inc.en.wikipedia.org

  Mathematica completed a three-for-two stock split in anticipation of changes in ownership.

• 1975

  Mathematica Policy Research becomes a distinct division

  [1]Mathematica Inc.en.wikipedia.org

  The social-experiments unit was renamed Mathematica Policy Research, clarifying the organizational distinction between policy research and Mathtech's technical and economic consulting activities.

• 1968

  Mathematica becomes an independent corporation

  [1]Mathematica Inc.en.wikipedia.org

  Mathematica was spun off to support faster growth, establishing the corporate structure in which Mathtech later operated as the technical and economic consulting division.

A specialist technical and economic consulting business serving research, analytical, and computer-systems needs within the historical Mathematica organization.

• Professional services

  Technical and economic consulting

  Mathtech's principal documented role was as Mathematica's technical and economic consulting group. It conducted applied research and analytical projects that required economic expertise, technical investigation, and systems-oriented problem solving. Available references do not identify a standardized consumer product range or a detailed list of later service packages.

• Technology consulting

  Computer systems and technical research

  The Mathtech division worked on computer systems and research projects other than RAMIS, the programming language associated with Mathematica's separate Products Group. Its work appears to have focused on applied systems and technical assignments rather than the sale of a single branded software platform.

• 1986

  Spin-off and employee ownershipStrategy

  Background

  After Martin Marietta acquired Mathematica, the former divisions were reorganized. Mathtech was separated from the corporate parent as part of this restructuring.

  Action taken

  Mathtech was spun off and became employee-owned.

  Aftermath

  The transaction made Mathtech an independent employee-owned consulting business, distinct from Mathematica Policy Research and the software operation.

  Source

1. 1Mathematica Inc.en.wikipedia.org
2. 2Mathtech official websitemathtechinc.com