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PlusMinus Operator Question

  • To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
  • Subject: [mg38356] PlusMinus Operator Question
  • From: TerryH <tharter at attglobal.net>
  • Date: Thu, 12 Dec 2002 01:38:00 -0500 (EST)
  • Reply-to: tharter at attglobal.net
  • Sender: owner-wri-mathgroup at wolfram.com

Hi All:
   How can I get Mathematica 4.2 to do simple multipliction thru
PlusMinus operators?
For example, suppose I have a 3-dimensional vector with component
tolerances specified:

   In[4]:=       va = {{4.10 ± 0.057}, {-3.16 ± 0.796}, {5.09 ± .250}}
   Out[4]:=
{{4.1\[PlusMinus]0.057},{-3.16\[PlusMinus]0.796},{5.09\[PlusMinus]0.25}}



   In[5]:=      FullForm[va]
   Out[5]://FullForm=

List[List[PlusMinus[4.1`,0.057`]],List[PlusMinus[-3.16`,0.796`]],

List[PlusMinus[5.09`,0.25`]]]

   In[6]:=      5.2*va
   Out[6]:=   {{5.2 (4.1\[PlusMinus]0.057)},{5.2
(-3.16\[PlusMinus]0.796)},{5.2 (5.09\
                           \[PlusMinus]0.25)}}

However, what I want is (for the first component of the vector, va) is
     5.2*4.1 ± (5.2*0.057)
or, equivalently
    21.32 ± 0.2964

Is there a standard package to do this?  I wasn't able to find anything
of help in
Section 1.10 or 3.10 of the Wolfram Reference.  How does one assign
meaning to the
PlusMinus operator to do simple arithmetic calculations as shown above?

Many thanks to all who may respond!
....Terry H




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