Overview

Waterloo Maple Inc., commonly known by its brand name Maplesoft, is a Canadian software company based in Waterloo, Ontario. The company is best known for developing Maple, a commercial computer algebra system that combines symbolic manipulation, numeric computation and interactive visualization into a single technical computing environment. Maplesoft markets tools and services for engineering, science and mathematics education as well as research.

Products and capabilities

At the core of the company’s offerings is the Maple environment, which provides a programming language, mathematical algorithms, and a document-oriented interface for composing calculations, plots and technical documents. Maplesoft also produces complementary products and platforms intended for modeling, simulation and assessment.

  • Maple — a symbolic and numeric computation system with algebraic manipulation, calculus, linear algebra, and plotting capabilities (product page).
  • Modeling and simulation tools — products that support multi-domain physical modeling and system-level simulation.
  • Assessment and learning software — systems to create, deliver and grade technical assignments and exams in mathematics and engineering.

History and origins

The company was originally registered as Waterloo Maple Software in April 1988. Maple itself began as a research project at the University of Waterloo and was commercialized through the establishment of the company in the late 1980s. Over the years the firm has evolved from a small startup into an organization serving academia and industry worldwide while retaining ties to the regional technology and academic community in Waterloo (Waterloo, Ontario).

Uses and importance

Maple and Maplesoft’s related products are widely used in mathematics education, scientific research, and engineering design. Typical applications include solving symbolic integrals and differential equations, performing algebraic simplification, numerical analysis, and creating graphical visualizations of mathematical relationships. Educators value the system for interactive demonstrations and homework generation, while researchers use it for prototyping and algorithm development.

Distinguishing features

Maple is distinguished by its emphasis on symbolic computation combined with numerical tools and an integrated document interface. This contrasts with products that focus primarily on numerical arrays or domain-specific simulation. Maplesoft positions its offerings for users who need both exact, algorithmic manipulation of expressions and practical numerical results, and the company provides academic licensing and support options for educational institutions (company information).