Getting Started with
Maple V

Math 5, Winter 2000

Dwight Lahr and Josh Laison

Maple is an example of what is called a Computer Algebra System(CAS). Other examples are
Mathematica and Derive. These systems are changing the way scientists, engineers, and
mathematicians do mathematics. As we shall see, they allow us to do algebra and symbolic
manipulations by computer. They also do arithmetic and draw graphs.

Do you remember how to calculate the square root of 73 by hand? Probably not. The reason is
that we now can get a good approximation to 73

with an inexpensive calculator. Removing the
calculational burden frees us to think about square roots without the extra baggage of the
calculational algorithm. This is an elementary example of the kind of advantages that a CAS gives.
In Maple, we write

evalf(sqrt(73));

if we want the decimal result 8.544003745 to ten significant figures, and we write

evalf(sqrt(73),100);

if we want it to one hundred:

8.5440037453175311678716483262397064345944553295332822419086512537
71648819327298381080972030107009430

Getting Started: Putting Maple onto your Computer

To get started you need to get Maple onto your computer. You will do this by dragging a folder
from PUBLIC that contains a keyserved version of the necessary software. Look on PUBLIC and
open successively the folders:

(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)

Licensed Software
KeyServer Controlled Software
Limited Support
Maple V

You will find there two files—one named Maple V Install•READ ME!and a second file named
Maple V Release 5.sit. You should drag these two files to your hard disk. Then read the READ ME!
file and follow its instructions. This process assumes that you have the standard First-Year Student
package consisting of a Power PC Mac (or if you are in an earlier class that you have a Macintosh
of some kind). If you have a Windows computer, you will need to get Maple from Adams, the
fileserver that contains the keyserver software, and the keyserved applications that run on Windows
95 machines. There is an informational bulletin available at Kiewit called Installing & Running
Windows 95 Keyserved Applicationsthat has all of the details.