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RE: RE: Re: Is it possible to access internal variables?

  • To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
  • Subject: [mg34774] RE: [mg34749] RE: [mg34709] Re: [mg34705] Is it possible to access internal variables?
  • From: "Wolf, Hartmut" <Hartmut.Wolf at t-systems.com>
  • Date: Thu, 6 Jun 2002 01:54:56 -0400 (EDT)
  • Sender: owner-wri-mathgroup at wolfram.com

Hello Bobby,

Two things: (1) as Hob Hanlon has pointed out, I missed to assign to v at
definiton of h[x_], which of course explains everything. Aside from being
this my standard blunder mixing up Append with AppendTo in my mind from my
first day on with Mathematica, I did not look close enough, and finally:
there are no mysteries. Sorry for disturbing you. 

(2) What considers CompoundExpression: this is no bug for shure; instead we
simply have to recognize the precise semantics of (e1; e2; ...; en)

The expressions e1, e2, up to en are executed in order, then the result of
en is assigned to CompoundExpression[e1, e2, ..., en] and then this is
evaluated again. Normaly, this has no visible effect since the execution
environment of en when evaluated within the CompoundExpression is the same
as that of the CompoundExpression when it returns; yet this is not enough.
Here, since FindMinimum fails it returns itself unevaluated (a standard
behaviour), this now becomes the value of CompoundExpression and such
FindMinimum will start anew.

This all conforms to the execution sequence as specified for Mathematica. We
certainly should have internalized this precisely and permanently (as a
morning prayer). However, we are human beings, and build up our own rules in
our heads and take many shortcuts. It's there where we often become
irritated. We just have concede that

 In[1]:= expr1

 In[2]:= expr2

is *not* the same as

 In[1]:= expr1;
         expr2

As I mentioned I've seen a prior thread to this theme with a prominent
contribution of Allan Hayes, e.g.
http://library.wolfram.com/mathgroup/archive/1999/Feb/msg00460.html or see
also my reply to Allan at another thread
http://library.wolfram.com/mathgroup/archive/2000/Jul/msg00115.html .

BTW esp. with Block, things are quite the same, and quite common here, since
the execution 
environment within Block almost always differs form that one outside: we
have to anticipate the transformations to the _result_ of Block, as here to
the _result_ of CompoundExpression.

--
Hartmut 


> -----Original Message-----
> From: DrBob [mailto:majort at cox-internet.com]
To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
> Sent: Tuesday, June 04, 2002 5:59 PM
> Cc: 'David Park'; BobHanlon at aol.com
> Subject: [mg34774] RE: [mg34749] RE: [mg34709] Re: [mg34705] Is it possible to
> access internal variables?
> 
> 
> If compound expressions are not evaluated in order, how can Modules or
> Blocks work?  Aren't they compound expressions?  What makes g and h
> different?
> 
> These are serious bugs.
> 
> I feel like we're walking on quicksand, now.
> 
> Bobby
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Wolf, Hartmut [mailto:Hartmut.Wolf at t-systems.com] 
To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
> Sent: Tuesday, June 04, 2002 3:45 AM
> Subject: [mg34774] [mg34749] RE: [mg34709] Re: [mg34705] Is it possible 
> to access
> internal variables?
> 
> 
> Hello Bob,
> 
> there is something mysterious with your proposal that disturbs me
> somewhat.
> See my records:
> 
> In[1]:= f[x_] := (x - 3)(x - 4)
>  
> In[2]:= g[x_] := Module[{t = f[x]}, v = Append[v, {x, t}]; t];
> In[3]:= v = {}; FindMinimum[g[x], {x, 2, 1, 3}]
> >From In[3]:=
> FindMinimum::"regex": "Reached the point \!\({3.5000000000000018`}\)
> which
> is \
> outside the region \!\({\({1.`, 3.`}\)}\)."
> >From In[3]:=
> FindMinimum::"regex": "Reached the point \!\({3.5000000000000018`}\)
> which
> is \
> outside the region \!\({\({1.`, 3.`}\)}\)."
> Out[3]=
> FindMinimum[g[x], {x, 2, 1, 3}]
> 
> In[4]:= v
> Out[4]=
> {{2., 2.}, {2., 2.}, {2.03136, 1.9069}, {2.05074, 1.85035}, {2.18642, 
>     1.4755}, {3., 0.}, {2., 2.}, {2., 2.}, {2.03136, 1.9069}, 
> {2.05074, 
>     1.85035}, {2.18642, 1.4755}, {3., 0.}}
> 
> In[5]:= g[x]
> Out[5]= (-4 + x) (-3 + x)
> 
> In[6]:= ?g
> Global`g
> g[x_] := Module[{t = f[x]}, v = Append[v, {x, t}]; t]
> 
> Apart from the fact that FindMinimum is restarted and that the first
> value
> appears twice, this seems to be what you intended. It doesn't 
> help Arny
> though, as the minimum value -- what he supposed to be that x occuring
> in
> 
> But there seems to be something special with g, if I try with h it
> doesn't
> work:
>  
> In[7]:= h[x_] := Module[{t = f[x]}, Append[v, {x, t}]; t];
> In[8]:= v = {}; FindMinimum[h[x], {x, 2, 1, 3}]
> >From In[8]:=
> FindMinimum::"regex": "Reached the point \!\({3.5000000000000018`}\)
> which
> is \
> outside the region \!\({\({1.`, 3.`}\)}\)."
> >From In[8]:=
> FindMinimum::"regex": "Reached the point \!\({3.5000000000000018`}\)
> which
> is \
> outside the region \!\({\({1.`, 3.`}\)}\)."
> Out[8]=
> FindMinimum[h[x], {x, 2, 1, 3}]
> 
> In[9]:= v     (* v is empty *)
> Out[9]= {}       
> 
> In[10]:= h[x]
> Out[10]= (-4 + x) (-3 + x)
> 
> In[11]:= ?h
> Global`h
> h[x_] := Module[{t = f[x]}, Append[v, {x, t}]; t]
> 
> 
> Now observe:
> 
> In[12]:= FindMinimum[Print[x]; f[x], {x, 2, 1, 3}]
> >From In[12]:= x
> >From In[12]:= 2.
> >From In[12]:= 2.03136
> >From In[12]:= 2.05074
> >From In[12]:= 2.18642
> >From In[12]:= 3.
> >From In[12]:= FindMinimum::"regex": "Reached the point
> \!\({3.5000000000000018`}\) which is \
> outside the region \!\({\({1.`, 3.`}\)}\)."
> Out[12]= FindMinimum[Print[x]; f[x], {x, 2, 1, 3}]
> 
> The Argument of FindMinimum is evaluated first with symbolic x (to get
> at
> the derivative I suppose), later, at the second call, it and 
> such also t
> =
> (-4 + x) (-3 + x) get a numeric value, and therefore the values are
> introduced into v when appending {x,t}, so the start value 
> gets doubled.
> 
> 
> The restart of the minimization seems to be triggered by the compound
> expression v = {}; FindMinimum[...] in the main loop (not within Find
> Minimum)
>  
> In[19]:= h5[x_] := Module[{t = f[x]}, Print[x]; t];
> 
> In[20]:= v = {}; FindMinimum[h5[x], {x, 2, 1, 3}]
> >From In[20]:= x
> >From In[20]:= 2.
> >From In[20]:= 2.03136
> >From In[20]:= 2.05074
> >From In[20]:= 2.18642
> >From In[20]:= 3.
> >From In[20]:= 
> FindMinimum::"regex": "Reached the point \!\({3.5000000000000018`}\)
> which
> is \
> outside the region \!\({\({1.`, 3.`}\)}\)."
> >From In[20]:= x
> >From In[20]:= 2.
> >From In[20]:= 2.03136
> >From In[20]:= 2.05074
> >From In[20]:= 2.18642
> >From In[20]:= 3.
> >From In[20]:=
> FindMinimum::"regex": "Reached the point \!\({3.5000000000000018`}\)
> which
> is \
> outside the region \!\({\({1.`, 3.`}\)}\)."
> Out[20]= FindMinimum[h5[x], {x, 2, 1, 3}]
> 
> Any expression e.g. (3; FindMinimum[...]) does that too; conversely if
> you
> initialize v in an extra line, there will be no restart. This may have
> something to do with peculiarities of compound expression, sometimes
> starting a re-evaluation. (This had been reported by Allan Hayes some
> years
> ago.) See:
> 
> In[65]:= x = 5;
> 
> In[66]:= x =.; Print[x]; {x, x = 3, x}
> >From In[66]:= x
> Out[66]= {3, 3, 3}
> 
> In[67]:= x =.
> In[68]:= {x, x = 3, x}
> Out[68]= {x, 3, 3}
> 
> Anyways, as shown above, Arny's desire to get at 'internal values' of
> FindMinimum seems to be hopeless. My advice would be to check for the
> error
> message and then possibly increase the search range (by a certain
> tolerance)
> and restart (only a finite number of times).
> 
> --
> Hartmut
> 
> 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: BobHanlon at aol.com [mailto:BobHanlon at aol.com]
To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
> > Sent: Sunday, June 02, 2002 7:15 AM
> > Subject: [mg34774] [mg34749] [mg34709] Re: [mg34705] Is it possible to access
> internal
> > variables?
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > In a message dated 6/1/02 6:18:58 AM, 
> > someone at somewhere.sometime writes:
> > 
> > >I am minimizing a function which only has real values 
> > >between 1 and -1, 
> > most
> > >of the time... occasionally its range is different and 
> > unknown, (but anyway
> > >not far from 1 and -1).  I could write a routine using Check 
> > to catch errors
> > >and then expand the range over which FindMinimum is allowed 
> > to search,
> > >but
> > >since FindMinimum seems to be getting the appropriate values 
> > anyway - it
> > >tells me the values in its error message -  I was wondering 
> > if there weren't
> > >some way to get at those values and use them without 
> > bothering to write
> > >said routine.  I was thinking of analysing 'MessageList' or 
> > '$MessageList',
> > >but was thinking there might be some easier way.
> > >
> > >Aren't variables within packages accessible via their long 
> > names, e.g.
> > >`package`private`variablename or something like that?  Does 
> > anyone have
> > >any suggestions?
> > >
> > 
> > f[x_] := (x-3)(x-4);
> > 
> > g[x_] := Module[{t = f[x]}, v=Append[v, {x,t}]; t];
> > 
> > g is the same function as f except that calls to g are recorded in v
> > 
> > v={}; FindMinimum[g[x], {x, 2}]
> > 
> > {-0.25, {x -> 3.5}}
> > 
> > FindMinimum called g at the following values of x:
> > 
> > v[[All,1]]
> > 
> > {2., 2., 2.0313609375, 2.0507430627940644,
> >  
> >   2.1864179398525154, 3.136142079261673, 3.500000000000001,
> >  
> >   3.838316500294484, 3.5, 3.3180710396308366,
> >  
> >   3.4999904004703097, 3.5, 3.499999994722301}
> > 
> > 
> > Bob Hanlon
> > Chantilly, VA  USA
> > 
> 
> 
> 


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