UnderstandingMaple

UnderstandingMaple
Mapleisacomputerprogramcapableofperformingawidevarietyofmathematicaloperations.Itoriginatedintheearly1980sasacomputeralgebrasystem,buttodaythisdescriptiondoesn’treallydoitjustice.Maplehasfacilitiesforalgebra,calculus,linearalgebra,graphics(twoandthree-dimensionalplots,andanimations),numericalcalculationstoarbitraryprecision,andmanyotherthingsbesides.Itiswidelyusedinuniversitiesacrosstheworld,andisparticularlyusefulfortasksthataretediousanderror-pronewhenperformedbyhumans,suchasmanipulatingcomplicatedseriesexpansionsandsolvinglargesetsofsimultaneousequations.Usedcorrectly,Maplecansavetimeandquicklysolveproblemsthatwouldotherwisebeintractable.Usedincorrectly,itcanleadtofrustration,andthedestructionofexpensiveITequipment.Atthetimeofwriting,thecurrentversionisMaple2016.VersionsbeforeMaple2015werenumberedstartingfrom1;thelastofthesewasMaple18.Newfeaturesintroducedineachversionfro妹妹aple4.0onwardscanbeviewedusingthehelpsystem(seeSection2.2).Forthemostpart,recentchangeshavebeenrelativelyminor,atleastasfarasthematerialinthisbookisconcerned.Consequently,alloftheexamplesworkwithbothMaple2015andMaple2016.Infact,mostwillworkinolderversionsaswell,thoughnaturallythenumberofexceptionsincreasesthefurtherbackonegoes.Twosubstantialnewfeaturesarethedataplotco妹妹and,discussedinSection6.6,andthenewrulesconcerningterminatingcharacters,describedinAppendixB(seealsoSection2.3).BothofthesewereintroducedinMaple2015.