Book excerpt: Computer algebra systems allow students to work on mathematical models more efficiently than in the case of pencil and paper. The use of such systems also leads to fewer errors and enables students to work on complex and computationally intensive models. Aimed at undergraduates in their second or third year, this book is filled with examples from a wide variety of disciplines, including biology, economics, medicine, engineering, game theory, physics, and chemistry. The text includes a large number of Maple(R) recipes.