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Section 10.2 Two Types of Solvers
Aside In most of the exercises in the activities, you may ignore complex solutions involving
\(\displaystyle I= \sqrt{-1}\text{.}\)
We will make use of two different equations solvers in Maple. Each solver behaves quite differently and has its own strengths and weaknesses.
solve()
This solver attempts to solve an equation and then display the solutions in their exact form.
This solver will give both real and complex solutions. Complex solutions will involve the imaginary value \(\displaystyle I= \sqrt{-1}\text{.}\)
Solutions to high-degree polynomials can be very large and may be displayed symbolically using “RootOf ” placeholders.
fsolve()
This solver uses numerical approximation methods and displays the solutions in decimal form.
This solver will give real solutions only.
The number of digits displayed for a numerical value will be determined by the number assigned to Digits.
Some solutions may not be found by the methods used by the solver.
It is a good idea to see the output of both solvers to decide which output is more useful. A good strategy is to use
solve() and see if the output is helpful. If it is not, then you can go back to your command, change it to
fsolve(), and rerun the new command.
