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Re: Overriding Division Notation

  • To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
  • Subject: [mg26582] Re: Overriding Division Notation
  • From: "Ersek, Ted R" <ErsekTR at navair.navy.mil>
  • Date: Tue, 9 Jan 2001 01:51:56 -0500 (EST)
  • Sender: owner-wri-mathgroup at wolfram.com

Jeff Hesh wanted to make  a/b  display as  

                    a
a b^-1  instead of  -
                    b

I assume he also wants to use parentheses when appropriate as in 
   a/(b+c)   should display as   a (b+c)^-1 
A few extra rules are needed to get the parentheses right. 
The following code should do the trick.

(*****************)

MakeBoxes[(a_Plus) (b_Plus)^-1,form_]:=
 RowBox[{"(",MakeBoxes[a,form],")",
   SuperscriptBox[ RowBox[{"(",MakeBoxes[b,form],")"}], "-1"]
 }]


MakeBoxes[(a_Plus)  b_^-1,form_]:=
 RowBox[{"(",MakeBoxes[a,form],")",
   SuperscriptBox[ RowBox[{MakeBoxes[b,form]}], "-1"]
 }]


MakeBoxes[a_ (b_Plus)^-1,form_]:=
 RowBox[{MakeBoxes[a,form]," ",
   SuperscriptBox[RowBox[{"(",MakeBoxes[b,form],")"}],"-1"]
 }]


MakeBoxes[a_ b_^-1,form_]:=
 RowBox[{MakeBoxes[a,form]," ",
   SuperscriptBox[MakeBoxes[b,form],"-1"]
 }]


(*******************)

To understand how this works look up MakeBoxes at my website.


--------------------
Regards,
Ted Ersek

Download Mathematica tips, tricks from 
http://www.verbeia.com/mathematica/tips/Tricks.html




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