Math 5 Maple sheet

- 2 -

Winter 2000

At the end of the installation process you will have a folder on your disk named Maple V
Release 5. We will refer to this folder as "The Maple folder". Inside the Maple folder is the Maple
application itself named Maple V (PPC) §.

Now you should be able to start up Maple so long as you are connected to the Dartmouth
Network (for keyserving purposes). You do this by double clicking the Maple V (PPC) § icon
inside your Maple folder. (Note: If you are an upper class person with a non-PPC Mac you will
double-click, instead, one of the alternate files Maple V (FPU) §or Maple V §.You can simply try
these files to see if they run, or if you are in doubt see your instructor as soon as possible.) One
word of caution: Before double-clicking the Maple V (PPC) § icon be sure to throw into the trash
the other versions of the Maple application (Maple V (FPU) §and Maple V §)that are not for your
Mac, and then empty the trash. Yes, empty the trash. Now, you are ready to start Maple by double-
clicking the Maple V (PPC) § icon.

The Final Step: Try out your New Software

Open your Maple folder and double click on the appropriate application icon. This starts Maple
and displays a new blank worksheet. The Maple prompt>is there with a blinking cursor waiting
for you to type Maple commands. Try a few of the following: (Note: Type each of the commands
verbatim(don’t forget the semicolon), and then hit the enterkey to execute it. Without the
semicolon, Maple will interpret what you have typed as an incomplete statement.)

2+3;
plot(x^3+3*x-1,x=-3..3);
plot(sin(x),x=-2*Pi..2*Pi);
evalf(Pi,1000);
solve(a*x^2+b*x+c=0,x);

You can save this worksheet by selecting Save As...from the File menu. Or you can print it
by selecting Print...from the File menu. Don't worry about not knowing much about Maple, or
about the mathematical calculations at this stage. We will learn by doing, as we go along.

Note: If you have problems printing, try reducing the number of colors on your machine to
256. You do this on a Macintosh by opening the Monitors and Soundcontrol panel.

As a last exercise, try typing in one of the earlier commands above for approximating
you approximate 73

73

. Can

to 1000 significant digits?

Getting Help: Learning Maple Commands On-line

If you want to get help on a topic that you think may exist, type for example

?mod

and hit the enterkey. Maple will tell you if it recognizes what you are asking, and if it does, it will
give you a lot of information. So, don't hesitate to explore on your own using the question mark (?)
to ask Maple about a topic. Can you figure out how to calculate 2000(mod 99)?