Dr. Sarah's Computer Lab Directions

Access Questions and Answers
  1. WHERE DO I ACCESS MAPLE? In any lab on campus, on the file server. See the tips section below. If you don't have time to work in the labs on campus, you may wish to purchase a copy of Maple - a link will be posted on the ASULearn forum/bulletin board so that you can obtain a reduced price.

  2. WHERE DO I ACCESS THE MAIN WEB PAGE, CAMPUS PIPELINE, AND ASULEARN? Anywhere (in the world!) with web access by typing in the main web page address into a browser or googling Dr. Sarah and accessing the page from there.
Opening Maple in PC and Mac Labs

Starting Maple in PC labs such as 203
  • If the computer is off, follow directions by hitting control/alt/delete at the appropriate time. There is no password required for the login. Use

    Programs/Math Software / Maple 9, 10, or 11 / Maple icon.

    FYI, Maple is located on the server in the w drive - for example, w:\\Company\Waterloo Maple\Maple 9\ Note: some PC lab computers need Apps\Company...

    Starting Maple in the 205 Mac Lab
  • If needed, turn on the computer by pressing down the Power Button on the back of the right side of the computer.
  • Once the computer starts up, click on Local Apps/Maple 11/Maple 11 icon - the red Maple leaf.
    Main Class Web Page

  • From a web browser, go to google and type
    Dr. Sarah
    Click on my webpage and then the 2240 link.
  • The two red lines will always be located just below the next day's homework. Time moves upward on this page.
    You can access all of the other pages from this one.
    Maple Tips
    Execute The First Line
    > with(LinearAlgebra): with(plots):

    Save Often Computers do sometimes crash and lose your work. In order to save your work, File/Save brings up a browser. You should always save your file as Name.mw The .mw tells Maple that the file is a Maple worksheet. Then find a place to save the file (public folder) and then click OK. If you have work that you wish to save, you may send yourself an e-mail message on Campus Pipeline with your Maple file attached. Before e-mailing your document, first use Edit/Remove Output/From Worksheet to remove the output, and then re-save - it makes it much easier for other versions of Maple to handle. You can always execute the commands again later.

    Entering Maple Commands To enter commands, type in commands at the > prompt, then hit the return or enter key. If you want a new > prompt, use Insert/Execution Group/ and release on Before or After the Cursor, as desired.

    Semicolons and Colons All commands must end in either a semicolon (;) -- shows output -- or a colon (:) -- suppresses output in older versions of Maple.

    Entering Text Explanations Use Insert/Text in order to turn a > Maple code region into a text region. If you want a new > prompt, use Insert/Execution Group/ and release on Before or After the Cursor, as desired. Then use Insert/Text.

    Copy and Paste A quick way to enter a long Maple command is to copy a similar command from elsewhere, paste it into a Maple input > region, and edit it. You can also copy output from a Maple command (even a plot) and paste it into a text region.

    Colon-Equals A common oversight is omitting the colon (:) before the equal sign in a Maple statement. Most Maple statements have the form Name:=Expression, which tells Maple to calculate the value of the Expression and assign the result of the calculation to the Name. However, in an equation that you just want Maple to solve, you use the equal sign without the colon.

    Maple's Forgetfulness When you open a worksheet that contains output, Maple does not actually know the values of any of the variables in the output regions, even though it may look like the values have been assigned to some variables. Maple "forgets" the values assigned in a worksheet as soon as you exit Maple or execute a restart command. So, if you want Maple to know the values of these variables, you have to execute the commands in the worksheet again.

    Maple's Lack of Forgetfulness and restart: Unless you exit Maple or execute a restart command, Maple will retain these values. So it's a good idea not to use the same variable names repeatedly. If you find that you are getting strange responses to Maple commands, the cause may be exactly this unwise repeat of variable names. The cure is to execute the restart and with commands at the top of the module; then re-execute all the commands you need to get your answer. Make sure that you execute commands in the proper order. Maple pays no attention to the order in which a command appears - it only pays attention to the order in which it is executed.

    Producing Nicely Formatted Formulas in Text Regions You can create mathematical formulas in text regions that look as good as the mathematical formulas in Maple's output. In a text region, type the formula just as you would if it were Maple input. Then highlight the formula, and use Format/Convert To/Standard Math.