Thanks guys, quite helpful feedback. BUT: What's the equivalent of Ctl-shift-minus on Mac OS X? I'm trying it with Cmd-Shift-minus, but that causes the quick-help to pop-up.

Thanks guys, quite helpful feedback. BUT: What's the equivalent of Ctl-shift-minus on Mac OS X? I'm trying it with Cmd-Shift-minus, but that causes the quick-help to pop-up.

I just watched the surface flux example. While it believe it is highly instructive in the way it shows how to solve this specific case, I think there are two drawbacks from it. 1) It does, imho, not teach creative thinking and problem solving skills. If in one moment, a problem is slightly different and one can not apply the template anymore, one is lost. 2) To me, the end result is highly arbitrary, thus there is only little point actually showing it. The precise number is totally irrelevant (except maybe for the sign). The tutorial instead, should much rather discuss the question, why are there two intergrals? Why are we doing what we are doing?

I'm a programming instructor and I can see for myself how it is difficult to acquire and especially teach problem solving skills. It is only possible by finding the Ansatz one self. The execution is in general much easier.

@ Adri

Thanks for your answer. However, I'm not exactly sure if I get it. I should note that my expression was generic rather than specifically Maple syntax.

Also, I can not right now follow your expression, in the first term, 'i' is defined as an index, but it does not appear in the argument for the sum. What I am trying to do is to subtract from the first sum all terms but the k-th term. Which should of course leave 'k'. So also the second term starts at i=0, but jumps 'k'.

@ Adri

Thanks for your answer. However, I'm not exactly sure if I get it. I should note that my expression was generic rather than specifically Maple syntax.

Also, I can not right now follow your expression, in the first term, 'i' is defined as an index, but it does not appear in the argument for the sum. What I am trying to do is to subtract from the first sum all terms but the k-th term. Which should of course leave 'k'. So also the second term starts at i=0, but jumps 'k'.

@acer. thanks, ok I see. I'm just wondering, on paper, you cant write 32 = 2^6. It just does not make sense. So what does it mean when I write it in Maple, since apparently it does not think there is anything wrong about it.

I'll be having a look at the pages you're pointing out.

@acer. thanks, ok I see. I'm just wondering, on paper, you cant write 32 = 2^6. It just does not make sense. So what does it mean when I write it in Maple, since apparently it does not think there is anything wrong about it.

I'll be having a look at the pages you're pointing out.

thanks for the feedback, i'll check it out.

thanks for the feedback, i'll check it out.

i guess my example was missleading. Lets say I end up with an expression, 2^5, and I want to check if that is equal to another expression which I find on paper, 32. How can I check that?
I just tried, apparently, I can enter 23423*2^5=32 at the Maple prompt and it will just print this statement. I'm kind of expecting something like "False" or so.

Or, how could I check, if sin(alpha+beta) is really equal to sin(alpha)*cos(beta) + cos(alpha)*sin(beta), without using a specific value for alpha or beta?

What I'm after is a check, if one expression can be transfered into another one algebraically.