Documentation
Maple 11
Documentation table of contents.
Introduction
Maple is a mathematical application package that supports symbolic and numeric computation and graphics. Maple is available on all Public IT workstations. It is also available at a discounted price to University at Buffalo students, faculty, and staff at UBMicro.
Note
When installing Maple 11 in Windows XP, some screens may appear slightly different than those pictured below. Installation steps are the same.
Installing Maple 11
- Maple 11 will automatically prepare to install when you insert the Maple 11 CD into the computer.
- An introduction to the installation process will appear. Click
Next to begin installation.
- Choose a location in which you would like to install Maple 10.
The default location is recommended. Click
Next.
- You can select what type of installation you want. Full Installation is recommended.
- Choose whether or not you would like Desktop shortcuts for Maple 11 to be placed on your computer, then click Next.
- You must install the Watcom C compiler to continue. Click Next.
- Choose either Single User License or Network License. Click Next.
- Review the Pre-Installation Summary and make sure everything is correct. Click Install.
- Please wait while Maple 11 is installed.
- If you have an active internet connection, select Activate and click Next. If you are not connected to the internet, activation can be completed after the installation is complete.
- Read the Maple Activation privacy notice, then click Next.
- Enter the purchase code you were given with your copy of Maple 10 in the Purchase Code field. If you are behind a proxy server, enter your proxy information. When you are ready to continue, click Next.
- Enter the required information into each field labeled in red. The other fields are optional. Click Next to proceed.
-
If activation is successful, the following screen will appear.
- Choose whether you would like to restart your computer directly following installation, or at a later time. Click Done to finish the installation process.
Maple 11 Command Line
Maple's command line prompt is a greater-than symbol (>). Maple commands must end with either a semicolon (;) or a colon (:). A semicolon tells Maple to calculate the input and display the result. Use of a colon will suppress the result display. You can also include comments to document your work by typing # followed by your comments.
Help in Maple 11
Maple provides an internal help system for centralized searching. The ? command allows you to access help in Maple. For example, typing ?plot opens the help browser to detailed information on the plot command. There are adequate examples in most Maple help sessions. Online help is also available via the Help menu. To get a quick introduction to Maple, select Introduction from the Help menu.
Choosing an Interface
When Maple opens, the following screen will appear. Use it to select the interface you would like to use for your Maple session. If you would like to change your interface from within Maple, click File, then New, and select the appropriate interface type for a new blank document.
Maple Worksheet Interface
The worksheet interface is an integrated environment in which you can solve problems and document your work. You can include Maple commands, results, spreadsheets, graphics, hyperlinks, and text in one worksheet. You may then print this worksheet, use it in another Maple session, or transfer it to a Maple session on a different platform. The Maple Worksheet interface is the recommended way to use Maple 11.
The worksheet interface is similar to many Windows applications, such as word processors. You can perform standard operations -- opening, saving, and printing files, for example -- in the same way that you would using a word processor.
At the top of the worksheet is the Menu Bar. It contains menus such as File and Edit. Below the Menu Bar is the Tool Bar. Place the mouse over each button on this bar to display each button's function. Immediately below the Tool Bar is the Context Bar, which contains controls specific to the task you are currently performing.
Maple Document Interface
Document mode in Maple provides a blank sheet where you can solve problems instantly without using any Maple commands or additional resources. Standard math notation is used, and no command line interface is displayed. One of the biggest advantages of Document mode is that plain text and math expressions can be combined in the same worksheet in the kind of display you might see in a textbook.
Palettes
Palettes are shortcuts to mathematical expressions or functions which can save you time as you solve problems. The palette list is customizable; by right-clicking on any palette entry you can remove or add a number of different options.
The names you see on the palette window, shown below, are category names. By clicking the arrow to the left of a category name, you will display a pull-down window containing a number of different expressions that can be inserted into the current cursor area on your worksheet by clicking on them.
Any of the displayed expressions can be clicked to insert them into the document. You may open and close palette categories by clicking their arrows to expand or contract them.
Maple will use question marks (?) to denote areas in an expression that can be filled with numbers, constants, or other expressions.
More information about palettes and building expressions can be found in Maple's integrated help feature.
Packages
Maple has a collection of packages, each of which contains a set of related functions. Use the Help menu to obtain information on the available packages.
To use a package, type the following at your Maple prompt:
with(package-name);
| Example | Description |
|---|---|
| with (Maplets[Elements]); | Invokes the Maplets package. Using Maplets, you can create windows, dialogs, and other visual interfaces. |
Saving a Maple Worksheet
The Save and Save As options in the File menu allow you to save your worksheet in .mw or .mws format.
The Export As option in the File menu allows you to save your worksheet in the following formats:
| File Extension | Description |
|---|---|
| .mws | Maple worksheet format |
| .tex | LATEX document |
| .txt | Plain ASCII text |
| .html, .htm | Hypertext |
| .rtf | Rich Text Format |
| .mpl | Maple Input |
| .maplet | Maplet |
To reload an existing worksheet, select File, then Open. When reloading a worksheet, you can recover the previous state (previously defined variables and functions) by selecting Edit, Execute, then Worksheet.
Printing
To print a worksheet or help page, select File, then Print.
Sample Commands
Maple’s command language is expressive and easy to use. You can learn it interactively by entering commands from the Maple prompt. The following examples illustrate some key Maple features:
| Example | Description |
|---|---|
| f:= x^2+2*y^3; | Assigns x2+2y3 to f. |
| w:=subs(x=z+1,f); | Substitutes x with z+1. |
| g:= x-> (x+3)^3; | Defines g as a function of x. |
| g(3); | Evaluates g when x=3. |
| diff(sin(x),x); | Finds the derivative of sin(x). |
| int(cos(x),x); | Finds the integration of cos(x). |
| with(linalg); | Loads the linalg package. |
| A:=matrix(2,2,[2*y,x,y,x*y]); | Defines a 2x2 matrix A. |
| B:=inverse(A); | Calculates the inverse of matrix A. |
| solve(cos(x)+y=9,x); | Solves an equation. |
| fsolve(tan(sin(x))=1,x); | Solves an equation numerically. |
| dsolve(diff(v(t),t)+2*t=0,v(t)); | Solves a differential equation. |
| plot(sin(1/x)*exp(x),x=0.15..1.5); | 2D plot. |
| plot3d(sin(x*y),x=-1..1, y=-1..1); | 3D plot. |
| with(CodeGeneration); | Loads the package CodeGeneration. |
| Fortran(A,resultname="W"); | Outputs matrix A to W in FORTRAN language. |
| C(A,optimize); | Outputs matrix A in C language. |
Additional Information
There are many books regarding Maple available at Maplesoft's publication
site:
http://www.maplesoft.com/books.