Question: Is Maple mixing up units and dimensions?

I'm a new Maple user so there may be a better way to do this, but Maple is not handling units the way I would expect.

Here is an example document (inline graphical below, also here: Plots_With_Units.mw) showing the impedance of a parallel resistor, inductor, and capacitor.  The plot is correct and it shows kHz along the abscissa like I want.  In order to get this I used kHz in the range fr, which is fine, but I had to also use kHz in the basic definition functions for Zl and Zc.

Now in order to get correct results from any of the Z functions I must use them with a kHz argument for f.  If I want to use them where other unit multipliers are more appropriate they won't work right, and many times I don't know what the appropriate multiplier should be until I'm into the design.  Then I need to go back and change the multipliers in the functions.  Or maybe in a single design I'll want to show Hz and kHz for the same function.

This seems like confusing units and dimensions.  The dimensions of inductive impedance (Zl), for example, can be expressed as frequency times inductance.  Whether the frequency is in units of Hz, kHz, or uHz doesn't matter and should simply scale the results.  I should be able to specify functions in dimensions and use units elsewhere as I want for convenient plotting and result formatting.

Is there a better way to do this, or is it a limitation in Maple?  The overall goal is to define functions with units but be able to use them and to format plots in whatever other units I like.

Please Wait...