Why is it that the extra arguments available for simplify (like, size that you used) totally omitted from the regular help file for size, and you have to click on another link to get it? I had no idea I had that kind of flexibility with the function. Problem totally solved now. Thanks!!

Thanks for both options! One question though - after an fnormal(%) and simplify(%) it drops the zero, but now the numerator and denominator terms are scaled by 10^9... i.e. when my original function s^5 + 3.236... is the denominator of a rational function, this is my output: 1/(s^5+3.236067976*s^4+(1.*10^(-10)*I)*s^4+5.236067975*s^3+(7.*10^(-10)*I)*s^3-(3.*10^(-10)*I)*s+5.236067975*s^2+3.236067977*s+1.000000000) After fnormal and simplify I get: 1.000000000*10^9/(1.000000000*10^9*s^5+3.236067976*10^9*s^4+1.000000000*10^9+5.236067975*10^9*s^3+5.236067975*10^9*s^2+3.236067977*10^9*s) which has: an unordered denominator, and everything is scaled by 10^9. Sometimes I find these functions don't do what (to me) is the intuitive "simplify" or "factor". Thanks in advance.

I'm not at my computer, but you're missing the x^2/10 term, and that will decrease its contribution by .001 which looks like the amount you're missing there.

Yeah I didn't actually test it on the function given, and for my purposes I can clearly see the solution is correct. Good to know that there are cases that can fool the algorithm.

Exactly what I'm looking for. Thanks a lot!

Pagan, I need it more inert. See my comment to Robert's post below. Robert, That works fine - but the Math stuff is still executable, i.e. it still has the dotted box around the code and if I hit Enter at the end of it it will execute. I want to have the embedded math and remove the dotted box - I want to have the advantage of being able to use 2D Math, but I don't want to execute it either on purpose or by accident. Almost every page in the Advanced Engineering Mathematics Maple Book has this type of code in it - when I click on it the MATH in the context bar is highlighted showing me it is math, but it is totally un-executable. Not even like the "inert" commands like Int or Diff.

So that's what's going on. Thanks!

Wow - I didn't know you could solve with a form... That's quite powerful. Thanks!