MathGroup Archive 1998

[Date Index] [Thread Index] [Author Index]

Search the Archive

Re: I don't understand in Mathematic



alok. menghrajani wrote:
> 
> Hi,
> 
> I'm 16 and I can't understand how I (why me?) found this bug in
> mathematica. It's such a silly thing:
> 
> Solve [x/x+x=1, x] returns x=0 but if x=0 then x/x has no sence!
> 
> Bye, ALok
> 
> (Pls reply to my email: robot@writeme.com)
I assume that you mean Solve[x/x+x==1, x].  ( =  -> ==)

I THINK that the reason that Wolfram allows you you to get 0 for a
solution is that 0 is a removable singularity: Limit[x/x, x->0] is 1. 
The software explaination is the Solve doesn't have a HoldFirst
Attribute so it will simplify x/x before evaluation. 

Ken Levasseur
Math. Sci. UMass Lowell
http://www.uml.edu/Dept/Math/



  • Prev by Date: Re: Complex -> List does not work
  • Next by Date: Re: List Manipulation
  • Prev by thread: I don't understand in Mathematic
  • Next by thread: Re: I don't understand in Mathematic