accroding to http://www.maplesoft.com/support/help/Maple/view.aspx?path=convert%2fVector  set can't be converted to Vector.

So I have to convert set to list, then convert the list to a Vector:

a:={1,2}:
convert(convert(a,list),Vector);

I was wondering if there is a short way to type this or a command that I might have overlooked, as it seems too much typing for such a common operation. (it would be nice if convert would support this automatically by doing the above so one can just type convert(a,Vector).  I am using Maple 17.02. I googled around, and did not find anything.

On a side note: The reason I ask, is that dsolve and many other operations like it, return the solutions as a set. Many times I need to multiply this by a Matrix. Hence the conversion need.

It seems Maple has no Clear(variable); function build in, and one must type

         variable := 'variable`; 

for each variable to be cleared. This is a little too verbose. In Mathematica one types "Clear[variable1,variable2]" which requires much less typing than the Maple way of doing it. (About 1/2 as much, if one has to clear few variables each time).

Doing restart is not a good solution all the time, since that will clear everything.

Strange why Maple can not provide such a function, and inside it, it can do these calls.

So, I was wondering if someone has written such a function. I can try to write one myself, but I am not very good in Maple, and I think a professionally written one by an expert would be more robust and will do more checking as needed to make sure it works correctly.

So, my question is, why Maple does not provide such a function as build-in? And does one know of a good implementation of one that exist?

Suppose one sets a system of differental equations in vector form, say 2 ODE's, like this:

restart;
with(LinearAlgebra):
ode:=Vector([diff(x(t),t),diff(y(t),t)])=Vector([2*x(t)+y(t),3*y(t)-x(t)]);

Then to solve these, what would be an easy way to do it, without having to rewrite them again manually as a set, as what one would normally do. Clearly one needs to map dsolve, and also convert the vectors to a set somewhere? I am not able to get the syntax right.

Is there an easy way to automatically convert/rewrite the above to

ode2:= diff(x(t),t)=2*x(t)+y(t)  ,   diff(y(t),t)=3*y(t)-x(t);

so that I can just do

dsolve({ode2},{x(t),y(t)});

Or, a way to map dsolve directly into the first from as shown?( the Vector = Vector form).

What is the Maple command that allows this:

restart;
set_:={a=3,b=5,c=9}:
magic_command( set_ );  %this will cause the display to show as below

to display as

          a=3
          b=5
          c=9

(just for display purposes, so it is easier to see each element on its own line. I'll use this to format result from say dsolve and solve and such)

I thought to ask here on this, may be someone has this book.

According to Amazon, it shows this book

http://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Maple-Andre-HECK/dp/1461265053/ref=sr_1_27?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1383016657&sr=1-27

(rest of message was deleted by this amazing Maple prime software, will write it again)

The book above is supposed to new?

"Book Description
Publication Date: November 6, 2012 | ISBN-10: 1461265053 | ISBN-13: 978-1461265054 | Edition: 3rd ed. 2003"

but 3rd edition was published in 2003. Is this really a new book for Maple?