Current personal computers provide exceptional computing capabilities to engineering students that can greatly improve speed and accuracy during sophisticated problem solving. The need to actually create programs for mathematical problem solving has been reduced if not eliminated by available mathematical software packages. This article summarizes a collection of 10 typical problems from throughout the chemical engineering curriculum that require numerical solutions. These problems involve most of the standard numerical methods familiar to undergraduate engineering students. Complete problem solution sets have been generated by experienced users in six of the leading mathematical software packages. These detailed solutions including a writeup, and theelectronic files for each package are available through the Internet at www.che.utexas.edu/cache, and via FTP from ftp.engr.uconn.edu/pub/ASEE/. The written materials illustrate the differences in these mathematical software packages. The electronic files allow hands‐on experience with the packages during execution of the actual software packages. This article and the provided resources should be of considerable value during mathematical problem solving and/or the selection of a package for classroom or personal use. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 6: 169–180, 1998