Desperate: Can Anyone Use Maple???

[ColdInsomnia]

I have a university assignment to do and whilst I am not having any problems with the questions themselves, I'm expected to take screenshots of me working in Maple to produce the same results. Allow me to start by saying this.

I HATE MAPLE

It is NEVER, EVER happy with the parameters that I input and just keeps giving me error after error. Even when I literally copy and paste the commands from my lecturer's notes, it STILL says that it's incorrect.

Example:

Use Maple to solve the following system of equations
y = 2x - 5 , y = 2x^2 + 2x - 21


I put the following into Maple;

solve({y=2*x-5,y=2*x^2+2*x-21},{x,y});

Here's my output:

2
{x = 2 RootOf(-2 + _Z , label = _L14),

2
y = 4 RootOf(-2 + _Z , label = _L14) - 5}

What a load of gobbledegook. I try to use the evalf("); command after this in the hope of getting something a little less confusing, but it complains about needing another " to end the string, or something.

What is REALLY getting on my nerves though, is getting the stupid thing to plot a simple graph of the above functions.

I'm trying to input the following. I have been through it with a fine comb, and I can't for the life of me figure out why the stupid thing just won't accept it. Here it is:

plot({y=2*x-5,y=2*x^2+2*x-21},x=-5..5);

I ALWAYS get the following error:

Warning, unable to evaluate the functions to numeric values in the region; see the plotting command's help page to ensure the calling sequence is correct

Plotting error, empty plot

I am following the exact calling sequence that my lecturer uses in his notes. As I've said, even the commands that he's put into the notes himself are giving the exact same problem.

PLEASE, ANYBODY, HELP
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Yamaha YB100 | Yamaha TZR125 | Yamaha XJ600S | Suzuki GSF600
"Our society is run by insane people for insane objectives. I think we're being run by maniacs for maniacal ends and I think I'm liable to be put away as insane for expressing that. That's what's insane about it."
John Lennon

[benvanwell]

There is nothing wrong with the given solutions. Maple has uses RootOf to signify that there are both positive and negative root answers. Your positive root solution is: x=2*root(2), y=4*root(2)-5.

If you wanted a more explicit answer you can use fsolve instead of solve, but this will only return the positive result so you need to take care.

The problem with your plot input is that you have tried to plot an equation, not a function. If you remove the "y=" from the start of both equations then it should work.

I've even checked to make sure....
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[ColdInsomnia]

Ben, you are a gentleman and a scholar.

Thank you ever, ever so much!

I knew it would be a small problem. Always helpful to have a second pair of eyes to look over it for you.

Thanks again buddy.
____________________
Yamaha YB100 | Yamaha TZR125 | Yamaha XJ600S | Suzuki GSF600
"Our society is run by insane people for insane objectives. I think we're being run by maniacs for maniacal ends and I think I'm liable to be put away as insane for expressing that. That's what's insane about it."
John Lennon

[benvanwell]

I bloody hated having to run maple labs. All the undergraduates complained that things never worked properly. Half the time they were right, the rest of the time there was a simple syntax error somewhere. Either way, a real pain in the arse to sort out, so you're definitely not alone in hating maple...
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Currently Riding: Triumph Sprint ST 1050
Previous: GSF600s, GS500, BMW F45, CG125