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(1) Working Through the New User's Tour

The New User's Tour presents a series of examples that illustrate some of the more common Maple commands, organized by subject area. In most cases, the worksheets are set up for you so that you execute the commands to get an overview of possible Maple co mmands and functions in that area. In some cases, you may copy commands to new worksheets to try different options on them.

Executing Commands

To execute commands in the New User's Tour (and any other) worksheets:

• 1. Place the cursor on the first command line (for example, 1+1; below) by using your mouse or the Tab key.
• 2. Press Enter.

Try this now:

> 1+1;

By pressing Enter, you also move the cursor to the next command line (in this case, limit( x-7, x=3 ); ) in the worksheet.

> limit( x-7, x=3 );

Please note:

• If you happen to place the cursor elsewhere in a worksheet, place it back on the appropriate command line before pressing Enter to continue.
• It is important to execute the commands in order because some computations require results from previous command lines.

Important Notes

• You cannot save over the existing New User's Tour worksheets, but you can save a copy of the m in a different directory.
• Each tour worksheet opens into a different window. These windows stay open until you specifically close them, or until you exit Maple. The Window menu lists all open windows. You can switch to a different window by selecting its name from that list.
• Occasionally you are referred to a help page for more information. To get that information, place your cursor on the word that you want information about. From the Help menu, choose Help on word (where word is the word the cursor is on). For more information about the Maple help system, click (11) Online Help .

Other Maple Features

In the New User's Tour , all commands are entered using Maple notation. Commands can also be entered in the following ways.

• Commands can be entered by using standard math notation.
• You can insert mathematical symbols, expressions, and matrices from floating palettes instead of typing them in.
• By right-clicking Maple results, you get a context-sensitive menu of commands that can be applied to that result.

When user interface items are mentioned in the New User's Tour, only the menu option method is provided. However, many of these items can also be chosen by clicking buttons in the toolbar or the context bar.

For more information on these alternative options, refer to the Learning Guide or the Maple help system.

Key terms

The following specialized terms are used in the New User's Tour.

Maple Input

Executable input, usually a mathematical expression, that Maple evaluates. The input is entered at the command prompt ( > ) . By default, Maple input is displayed in red type, with a Courier font.

Maple Output

The result of an executed Maple input command. (And therefore sometimes simply called the result .) By default, it is displayed in blue type in standard math notation.

Execution Group

A set of Maple input with its corresponding output. Execution groups can also contain descriptive paragraphs.

Worksheet

In Maple, a document created with the graphical user interface. The files have an .mws extension.

Section

An element of a worksheet that provides structure. It can contain paragraphs, execution groups, and other sections (subsections). The start of a section is identified by a box with a [+] or [-] sign embedded in it. Sections can be expa nded or contracted by clicking on that box. When expanded, the entire section has a vertical line down the left side of it that ends in a short horizontal line.

Standard Math Notation

Mathematics are displayed in a symbolic format similar in appearance to that found in a textbook.