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Re: thanks for the help with list - extended syntax question

  • To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
  • Subject: [mg40648] Re: thanks for the help with list - extended syntax question
  • From: atelesforos at hotmail.com (Orestis Vantzos)
  • Date: Sat, 12 Apr 2003 03:09:01 -0400 (EDT)
  • References: <b75mvb$24v$1@smc.vnet.net>
  • Sender: owner-wri-mathgroup at wolfram.com

Just because the scientific world was brainwashed with FORTRAN it
doesn't mean we can't look for something better!
As a mathematician I don't want to think about loops; they are not a
mathematical concept per se. When I see a sum like the one you
posted...well it's obviously an inner product. I don't see a for-loop!
Transposing the initial matrix will give me the proper vectors and
then it's just a matter of applying Inner on that matrix.
So: Inner@@Transpose[data]
Let vectors be vectors; that is the reason we invented Linear Algebra
after all. Why splice them up and mess around with indices and
temporary variables?

It's not that you have to learn a new computer language; it's just
that you have to relearn how to use the (old) mathematical one...

Orestis


"Nathan Moore" <nmoore at physics.umn.edu> wrote in message news:<b75mvb$24v$1 at smc.vnet.net>...
> Why is it in Mathematica that I can't operate on lists as if they are long
> arrays(in the style of c)  It would be orders of magnitude easier or me to
> just type,
>     data = {{x1,y1},{x2,y2}...{xn,yn}}
> and then find the desited sum like,
>     for(i=0,sum=0;i<;i++) { sum += data[[i,1]]*data[[i,2]]; }
> 
> It seems idiotic that syntax like this (which most of the scientific world
> would understand) is not allowed!  I hate learning new (redundant) computer
> languages!!!
> 
> Nathan


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