ABSTRACT
A real number in Maple is a decimal number with radix point and sign. The floating-point representation is non-exact, since a computer cannot store infinitely many digits. It should be noted that while integers and rationals can also be represented as floating-point numbers, the two representations are vastly different. The knowledge of patterns can be exploited to specify these numbers concisely, using a very small amount of information. However, the digits of a real number are not subject to any constraint, in the sense that any sequence of digits defines a unique number. Plotting a function of a real variable involves simulating a continuum of values, which is done by a fine scanning of the domain of the function. The function plot will require specifying the function to be plotted and its domain, as the first and second argument, respectively.
