Learning Guide Learning Guide

76 • Chapter 3: Finding Solutions3.7 The Organization of MapleWhen you start Maple, it loads only the kernel . The kernel is the baseof Maple’s system. It contains fundamental and primitive commands:the Maple language interpreter (which converts the commands you enterinto machine instructions your computer processor can understand),algorithms for basic numerical calculation, and routines to display resultsand perform other input and output operations.The kernel consists of highly optimized C code—approximately 10%of the system’s total size. Maple programmers have deliberately kept thesize of the kernel small for speed and efficiency. The Maple kernel implementsthe most frequently used routines for integer and rational arithmeticand simple polynomial calculations.The remaining 90% of Maple’s mathematical knowledge is writtenin the Maple language and resides in the Maple library. Maple’s librarydivides into two groups: the main library and the packages. These groupsof functions sit above the kernel.The main library contains the most frequently used Maple commands(other than those in the kernel). These commands load upon demand—you do not need to explicitly load them. The Maple language producesvery compact procedures that read with no observable delay, so you arenot likely to notice which commands are C-coded kernel commands andwhich are loaded from the library.The last commands in the library are in the packages. Each one ofMaple’s numerous packages contains a group of commands for related calculations.For example, the LinearAlgebra package contains commandsfor the manipulation of Matrices.You can use a command from a package in three ways.1. Use the complete name of the package and the desired command.package[cmd]( ... )If the package has a subpackage, use the complete name of the package,the complete name of the subpackage, and the desired command.package[subpackage][cmd]( ... )2. Activate the short names for all the commands in a package by usingthe with command.