The computational capabilities of the Maple system concerning special functions are constantly evolving. The requirements concerning mathematical functions, however, are not just computational: typically, you also need information on identities, alternative definitions and mathematical properties in general. You usually look for that information in handbooks of mathematical functions like the one by Abramowitz & Stegun. This leads to the idea of a FunctionAdvisor command and MathematicalFunctions project, whose main goal is to make the information the Maple system can provide more complete at each release, while providing access to each piece of information through a simple interface.

This information can be accessed directly from the Maple prompt, using the routines of the MathematicalFunctions package and the top-level FunctionAdvisor command. This functionality can be particularly useful when studying, teaching, or solving problems where mathematical function properties are relevant.

Each command in the MathematicalFunctions package can be accessed by using either the long form or the short form of the command name in the command calling sequence. The FunctionAdvisor command can be used directly without invoking the MathematicalFunctions package.

As the underlying implementation of the MathematicalFunctions package is a module, it is also possible to use the form MathematicalFunctions:-command to access a command from the package. For more information,  see Module Members.

The following is a list of available command.

To display the help page for a particular MathematicalFunctions command, see Getting Help with a Command in a Package.

Cheb-Terrab, E.S. "The function wizard project: A Computer Algebra Handbook of Special Functions." Proceedings of the Maple Summer Workshop, University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, 2002.