This set of notes will introduce you to the use of Maple particularly
as it is used in a Unix environment. The two languages Matlab and
Maple compliment each other in scientific use of a computer. MATLAB
is a very easy language for numerical computation. Maple allows you
to manipulate symbols so that you can find general solutions to many
problems. Both languages have good graphic capabilities. In many
problems, you may want to find as general a solution as you can with
Maple and then to look at specific cases with MATLAB.In the Owlnet
Notes for this course you will find: An introduction to Unix,
Information about windowing and tools in X-Windows.
You should be familiar with enough Unix; to use your workstation reasonably well, before you start learning Maple. The latest version of Maple on Owlnet is Maple 9.5. This is the version that was used to make up examples in these notes.
A description of most of the commands and techniques for programming will be found on line in a session of Maple 9. These notes cover only a small number of these commands so if you wish to expand your use of Maple, practice using the help available in such sessions. The main purpose of these notes is to describe techniques found to be useful in a variety of problems in introductory engineering and mathematics courses. We have also collected a number of problems that we hope will challenge you to learn even more techniques. There are a large number of Maple commands that cover a variety of types of operations. Thus you will find that the use of the reference manual or on-line help will be essential to understand the way to use the language effectively.
Note that these notes contain many examples from Maple. However, only the commands executed in the examples can be copied to another window. The results shown from each is reproduced in image files. The examples (i.e. the mws worksheets) in Maple have also been saved in the directory :
These documents can be opened in Maple 9.5 and you can execute them in order to help understand them. Each line in the example files can be copied into new Maple worksheets.
The following web sites have extensive compilations of information
about Maple and other Computer Algebra systems:
There are many other documents on computer algebra systems described
in the links from CAIN Europe.
In contrast to MATLAB, which has a definite numerical bias, Maple is oriented toward symbolic computation. It deals directly in structures that represent parts of algebraic or differential equations. The X Windows version of Maple has windowing capabilities (copying, cutting, pasting, etc.), help windows, and much improved two- and three-dimensional interactive graphics. These new graphic capabilities allow version 9.5 of Maple to be used for numerical presentations as well a symbolic manipulations.
There are several languages available for a variety of computers that have become available in the past few years. MACSYMA, Mathematica and REDUCE for example also give the user the option to perform symbolic manipulations of equations.
We will point out here some features of Maple that allow the user to do mathematical operations that would be quite cumbersome in FORTRAN or MATLAB. In some sense the way that symbols are manipulated is similar to the way that MATLAB evaluates character strings. Basic variables (Maple expressions) are set up symbolically or simply as character strings, but quotes are not used to indicate this. Punctuation is quite different from what you have seen in other languages.
The following capabilities of Maple 9.5 will be described in this chapter:
1.1 Getting into and out of Maple
1.2 The Maple Window
1.3 Other Menus
1.4 Maple Help Windows
1.5 Defining a Maple Expression
1.6 Defining a Simple Function
1.7 Differentiation in Maple
1.8 Integration in Maple
1.9 Simplifying Expressions
1.10 Series approximations
1.11 Solving Equations
Continue
on to Chapter 2
Return
to Table of Contents