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Research and Development
of Optical Devices Using Maple
Interview with Yoshiyasu Ueno, Assistant Professor,
D. Engineering,
The University of Electro-Communications, Chofu, Tokyo*
Why did you start using Maple?
I specialize in the development of various optical
devices; specifically, the structural design of future
generation super-high speed optical switching devices and
semiconductor lasers for DVD players. Generally speaking,
research and development departments need to conduct numerous
calculations and many experiments, while being severely
limited by time. Thus, software that can improve R & D
efficiency is very important. In the past, there was a
software called REDUCE, which was designed for large-scale
computers, but not many of us used it. Then I read an article
in a mathematics journal that provided a comparative analysis
of Maple and Mathematica. I started to use Maple because
the article ranked Maple higher.
What are some of Maple’s strengths?
FORTAN and BASIC were the languages I was using when I first
tried Maple. Compared to these, I found that Maple was much easier
to use and quicker—both in terms of writing calculations and
obtaining output. The same was true about Maple’s graphics.
I think that these are Maple’s greatest strengths. In addition,
it is worth mentioning that fractions and matrices can be freely
expressed, so that results can be checked visually with great ease.
Matrix operations and calculations involving complex numbers are
found everywhere in scientific research, but before Maple, it was
tedious to do all that programming using other software. In this
respect, I treasure the convenience of Maple. I also use Maple for
presentations; its 3-dimensional representation is truly excellent.
You can generate an extraordinarily beautiful expression, which cannot
be duplicated using Excel. I consider this to be a great strength
of Maple as well.
What are some new, exciting features of Maple 7?
The improvements in speed, the Japanese Balloon Help and the
new tutorial features of Maple 7 are great new features. I am planning
to offer graduate level courses using Maple. The software is very
user-friendly and so the materials are easily accessible. I should
stress and make it clear to those involved in other fields outside
of numerical analysis, theoretical engineering or education: I recommend
Maple as a tool that will meet the various needs of engineers involved
in all areas of design. In particular, I contend that, with minimum
effort in programming, Maple can be a very powerful tool for those
who develop new products and technologies.
*This interview has been adapted from a Japanese translation.
It was originally published in PC User Magazine, May 8, 2002, p.
3 (http://www.sbpnet.jp/pcuser) by Softbank Publishing Inc., Japan
(http://www.sbpnet.jp).
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