Math 696 -- Getting started with Maple

Getting started with Maple

Getting started with Maple

Here are some examples of simple Maple commands and the corresponding Maple output:

> 2+3;
          5

> factor(x^3+1);
          (x+1)*(x^2-x+1)

> diff(x^3+1,x);
          3*x^2

> int(x^3+1,x=0..1);
          5/4

Notice that Maple uses the symbol > as a prompt, and Maple commands are terminated by semicolons.

Try out the above commands yourself by (1) starting the Maple program and (2) using the mouse to copy the commands into the Maple window.

The details of how to start the Maple program depend on your local set-up; typically you can start Maple by clicking on an icon. Alternatively, you may be able to start Maple by selecting an entry from the workspace menu. As a last resort, you may be able to start Maple by issuing an appropriate command at a prompt in a terminal window; under X-Windows, for example, you may execute the command xmaple & (but not the command maple, because that will start the program with a dumb interface instead of with the graphical worksheet interface).
If you have trouble copying into a Maple window by using the mouse, read the hints.

(The input and output lines in your Maple window may be formatted differently from the lines above. You can control the appearance of your Maple window by changing settings on the Options menu and on the Format menu.)

Now you should work through a sample Maple file at the computer.

After starting Maple, click the mouse on the drop-down Help menu on the title bar and select New User's Tour. To get an introduction to the capabilities of Maple, work through at least the sections on Numerical Calculations, Algebraic Computations, and Calculus.

Keep in mind for the future that there is extensive on-line help available from the Help menu.

Aside to experienced users: If you have experience with an older version of Maple, be sure to look at What's New on the Help menu. Significant syntax changes occasionally occur in new versions of Maple. [For instance, in Maple V Release 5 the symbol representing the most recently calculated result changed from " (double quotation mark) to % (percent sign) so that " could be used to delimit strings.]

Exercise

Have Maple find the integral of 1/(1+x²) as x goes from 0 to infinity. (Before you do this, recall that you know the answer, because you know an anti-derivative of 1/(1+x²).)
Now use Maple to find a numerical answer accurate to 45 decimal places. (Caution: 45 decimal places is not the same as 45 digits, because there may be some digits to the left of the decimal point.) There is an issue to think about here, unrelated to Maple: should "45 decimal place accuracy" mean that the 45th decimal place is correct; and if not, what should it mean?
Next modify the problem by changing the sign in the denominator: ask Maple for the integral of 1/(1-x²) as x goes from 0 to infinity. Does Maple respond appropriately? Why is this problem different from the previous one?
Make hard copy of your Maple worksheet by using the Print option on the File menu.

Getting started with Maple