Re: A Simplify that really simplifies? Summary
- To: mathgroup at yoda.physics.unc.edu
- Subject: Re: A Simplify that really simplifies? Summary
- From: alex at fff.chem.utah.edu (Alex Dommasch)
- Date: Thu, 8 Oct 92 10:36:22 MDT
> > It is not possible to incorporate all of these operations into a > single function like Simplify. Some of the heuristics are > incompatible with each other, and even if they weren't, the resulting > function would be prohibitively slow. > >If it can't be done automatically, can we get some support for doing it >manually? I'd like to be able to extract a subexpression, perform some >operations on it, and replace it in the original expression. All this >is possible with ordinary Mma of course, but I want some help to ensure >that because of a typo (for example) I don't inadvertently change the value >of the subexpression. I should be able to type Factor[%], but not %^2. >Perhaps Mma could be persuaded to evaluate Simplify[%==%%] in the background, >and notify me if it's untrue. Mma should also remember what the original >expression was, so I don't have to look it up to perform the replacement. I wholeheartedly agree. It is so frustrating to see how a subexpression could be simplified, and yet have no way of directing Mma to do it (aside from manually picking apart the expression and then reassembling it). I suppose this is related to my earlier message about improved Mma front ends. (By the way, I got quite a few messages back about that, all in agreement, and a few even encouraging me to do it myself - which I would love to do if I didn't have a full time job). What would be ideal is if you could select part of an expression, and press a "Factor" button, or "Group" button, or something like that, and be assured that Mma will only change the form, not the value, of the expression. -- D. A. (Alex) Dommasch, Programmer Field-Flow Fractionation Research Center Department of Chemistry, University of Utah Salt Lake City, Utah 84112 (801)581-7168 FAX: (801)581-4353 alex at fff.chem.utah.edu (NeXT Mail)