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Re: RE-GROUPING OF EXPRESSIONS


  • To: mathgroup@smc.vnet.net
  • Subject: [mg11661] Re: RE-GROUPING OF EXPRESSIONS
  • From: Paul Abbott <paul@physics.uwa.edu.au>
  • Date: Sat, 21 Mar 1998 18:35:02 -0500
  • Organization: University of Western Australia
  • References: <6esfps$5lj@smc.vnet.net>

blimbaum_jerry@ccmail.ncsc.navy.mil wrote:

> My question concerns regrouping of variables, specifically terms
> like (a-b) become transformed into -b + a  (even though in the original
> they are entered as a - b) which is a form I dont like nor does one
> usually write equations that way.  Is there anything one can do
> about this 

If StandardForm is your Default Output FormatType (under the Cell menu)
you get the behavior you describe:

	In[1]:= b-a
	Out[1]= -a+b

However, you can convert the output to TraditionalForm manually, e.g.,

	In[2]:= b-a//TraditionalForm
	Out[2]= b-a

or change your default to be TraditionalForm (which I personally
prefer).

> or why does Mathematica do it in the first place?

Mathematica often needs to do an internal re-ordering of expressions.
TraditionalForm attempts to display the output in a form that
corresponds to "standard" mathematical conventions.

Cheers,
	Paul 
____________________________________________________________________ 
Paul Abbott                                   Phone: +61-8-9380-2734
Department of Physics                           Fax: +61-8-9380-1014
The University of Western Australia            Nedlands WA  6907       
mailto:paul@physics.uwa.edu.au  AUSTRALIA                            
http://www.pd.uwa.edu.au/~paul

            God IS a weakly left-handed dice player
____________________________________________________________________



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