The article discusses the problem of choosing an optimal package of mathematical programs for engineering calculations. Discusses advantages of package Mathcad – a versatile package of computer mathematics, has broad capabilities for a wide range of engineering and scientific problems. The main advantage of the package: natural mathematical language work-sheet of problem that enables the user to obtain after the calculations are ready the final document. It is shown that a simple to use and relatively inexpensive package Mathcad can at use optimization tools calculations give very good results in application to some problems of hydroelasticity related whith operations with complex-valued functions of large order and large calculations time Demonstrated the possibility of solving in a virtual environment Mathcad tasks of modeling of random processes using a random number generator and study them by methods of mathematical statistics.