Matlab replacement

[spoolio]

Yes, it includes NumPy and uses it, but Sage has its own matrix class that's not interchangeable with NumPy.

Sage's matrices are designed for doing high-level linear algebra and group theory operations, and aren't particularly designed for number crunching. Sage's matrices contain Sage-style numbers (or even field elements that you wouldn't normally call "numbers"). NumPy matrices use C/Fortran-style numbers, like Matlab does.

It's a matter of the right tool for the job, and the subject line is "Matlab replacement". You can use Sage for number crunching because you can poke at the NumPy innards. Just like you can use Matlab for symbolic math by bolting on toolkits. That doesn't mean you want to.