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Re: "K" is a System` Symbol

  • To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
  • Subject: [mg36178] Re: "K" is a System` Symbol
  • From: Selwyn Hollis <slhollis at earthlink.net>
  • Date: Mon, 26 Aug 2002 04:15:55 -0400 (EDT)
  • Sender: owner-wri-mathgroup at wolfram.com

  Mark:

In: ?K

Out: K is a default generic name for a summation index in a symbolic sum.


Turns out that there are seven single-letter symbols.

In:  ClearAll["Global`*"];
      Select[Names["*"], (StringLength[#] == 1) &]

Out:  {C, D, E, I, K, N, O}


K is a little weird, because it's not Protected.

In: Attributes[{C, D, E, I, K, N, O}]

Out: {{NHoldAll, Protected}, {Protected, ReadProtected},
      {Constant, Protected, ReadProtected}, {Locked, Protected,
      ReadProtected}, {}, {Protected}, {Protected, ReadProtected}}


----
Selwyn Hollis



Mark Fisher wrote:
> I just learned that K is a System` Symbol:
> > Information[K]
> Context[K]
> > I learned this due to an error message:
> > Block[{K = 1}, Sum[j, {j, i}]]
> > The same message can be generated by the following:
> > K := 1
> Sum[j, {j, i}]
> > The message can be eliminated by Removing K:
> > Remove[K]
> Block[{K = 1}, Sum[j, {j, i}]]
> K := 1
> Sum[j, {j, i}]
> > Surely, this is not intentional.
> > --Mark.
> 




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