Thanks for the tip. I tried the evalc() before posting but apparently I didn't add enough assumptions to make it work as I expected.

I take it from the answers that there is really no (hidden) setting to force maple to display complex number in phasor format instead of the default rectangular format when it evaluates/simplifies an expression ?

(As an engineer phasor format is engraved in my brain ...)

Just out of curiosity, is there some ambiguity (apart from the quadrant issue of arctan) that is avoided by so strictly adhering to rect format? I would assume that the display format is quite independent from the internal representation and hence wouldn't cause any issues?

Thanks again (I really appreciate the replies - I wouldn't have guessed this "trick"), I got it. I can now just write (just as an illustration)

series(convert(series(1/(x-a), x = infinity), polynom), x);

and I will get the typesetting I wanted

Cheers,

Thanks for the reply.

The first way of using the empty functions works when one can create the polynomials one self but it will not work to instruct maple to keep the negative exponent in evaluations or simplifications.

I'm afraid I do not understand the second reply from Robert Israel, this will just print the way I'm trying to avoid.

I probably explained myself badly. What I'm after is some kind of setting (that I don't think exist ..) to tell maple to not rewrite

   x^(-a)  -->  1/x^a

but to just keep the negative exponent. When working with series in negative exponents it makes it easier when writing inline expressions not to have the divisor present but just keep the negative exponent.

Cheers,