Using packages

When you first load Maple, it knows how to execute several different functions. For example, we used the evalf and simplify functions without having to load them first.  Maple comes with a huge number of other useful functions, bundled up in units known as packages.  Maple has a modular design -- not all of its functions are loaded at startup. The more specialized capabilities must be explicitly loaded.

For example, if you want to work with matrices and vectors, you would want to load the linalg package.

    with(linalg);

The output from with is a list of the new commands that you now have access to.  If you don't want to see the list (which can be rather long), use a colon as your end-of-line marker.

    with(linalg):

Even if you use a colon, you may see warning messages.  These usually indicate that a command has a new definition.  In most cases, this should not be a concern.

Some Maple functions are not in packages; instead, they are stored in the older library format.  For example, to add the multivarate Taylor series function, mtaylor,  use the command

readlib(mtaylor);

tip Go exploring among the packages.  These are some of the most commonly used packages:
student  Includes commands for use in a classroom/homework setting.
plots Tools for graphics, 3-d, animation, and visualization.
linalg Matrices, vectors, and many linear algebra functions.
detools Tools for working with ODEs and PDEs.
To get a comprehensive list of available packages, choose Help->Introduction, then browse to Mathematics->Packages->Overview.