The first two editions of this book have been very well received by the com munity, but so many revisions ofthe Maple system have occurred since then that simply reprinting the out-of-stock book would not do anymore. A ma jor revision of the book was inevitable, too. The wording "major revision" must be taken seriously because I not only corrected typographical errors, rephrased text fragments, and updated many examples, but I also rewrote complete chapters and added new material. In particular, the chapter on differential equations now discusses Liesymmetry methods, partial differen tial equations, and numerical methods. Linear algebra is based throughout the book on the packages LinearAlgebra and VectorCalculus, which re place the deprecated package linalg. Maple users are strongly advised to do their work with the new packages. The chapter on simplification has been updated and expanded; it discusses the use of assumptions in more detail now. Last, but not least, a new chapter on Grabner basis theory and the Groebner package in Maple has been added to the book. It includes many applications of Grabner basis theory. Many of the Maple sessions have been rewritten so that they comply with the most recent version of Maple. As a result of all this work, hardly any section in the book has been left untouched. vi Preface to the Third Edition From the Preface of the Second Edition The first edition ofthis book has been very wellreceived by the community.
This is a fully revised edition of the best-selling "Introduction to Maple". The book presents the modern computer algebra system Maple, teaching the reader not only what can be done by Maple, but also how and why it can be done. The book also provides the necessary background for those who want the most of Maple or want to extend its built-in knowledge. Emphasis is on understanding the Maple system more than on factual knowledge of built-in possibilities. To this end, the book contains both elementary and more sophisticated examples as well as many exercises. The typical reader should have a background in mathematics at the intermediate level. Andre Heck began developing and teaching Maple courses at the University of Nijmegen in 1987. In 1989 he was appointed managing director of the CAN Expertise Center in Amsterdam. CAN, Computer Algebra in the Netherlands, stimulates and coordinates the use of computer algebra in education and research. In 1996 the CAN Expertise Center was integrated into the Faculty of Science at the University of Amsterdam, into what became the AMSTEL Institute.
The institute program focuses on the innovation of computer activities in mathematics and science education on all levels of education. The author is actively involved in the research and development aimed at the integrated computer learning environment Coach for mathematics and science education at secondary school level.