Maplesoft (57 Erb St., W., Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 6C2; 800-267-6583 or 519-747-2373; www.maplesoft.com). c2003. Windows ME/98 (64 MB, 128 MB rec.), XP/2000/Professional (128 MB, 256 MB rec.); Macintosh, OS X, v 10.2.3 with JRE 1.4.1, G3 processor, 128 MB (256 MB rec.); for both: 200 MB free disk space, CD-ROM drive, min. 16-bit color, internal TCP/IP connections enabled. CD-ROM disk, user guides. Single-user commercial license: $1795.00. For academic pricing, contact Maplesoft at 800-267-6583 or info@maplesoft.com. SA
Maple 9 is the newest version of this powerful mathematical software and problem-solving environment (previous version reviewed in KLIATT, September 2002). Improvements and updates include a series of structured student lessons in pre-calculus, calculus, and linear algebra; a simpler and more powerful user interface; and new capabilities in discrete transforms and scientific error analysis. For example, in the student pre-calculus module, there is a step-by-step linear inequalities tutor, and another tutor for function slopes. The Calculus 1 student package introduced in Version 8 has been upgraded with 14 interactive tutors to help students learn topics from differentiation to Taylor series. The discrete transforms package computes the fast Fourier transform and inverse transforms of single or multi-dimensional data.
The user enters problems on a command line and the software calculates the solution. However, since Maple 9 is also a programming environment, multi-step procedures can also be written and executed. Problem-solving capabilities range from elementary to extremely complex. Symbolic and numeric calculations, linear algebra, calculus, and a wide selection of two-and three-dimensional graphs are easily available. With 3-D graphing, the user now has the ability to make the graph translucent and to rotate it in any direction to allow easy viewing of all surfaces. A sketch region allows the user to draw freehand within the Maple worksheet.
In addition to the comprehensive capabilities of the software, the online Maple Applications Center (www.mapleapps.com) is a free online exchange of additional applications. This software, while expensive, is a product that few users will outgrow. Eric Fortess, Assoc. Prof., Suffolk Univ., Boston, MA
COPYRIGHT 2003 Kliatt
COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group
