Re: Solve Function
- To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
- Subject: [mg45094] Re: Solve Function
- From: "Mark Westwood [EPCC]" <markw at epcc.ed.ac.uk>
- Date: Wed, 17 Dec 2003 07:54:15 -0500 (EST)
- Organization: Edinburgh University
- References: <br6oqv$2lb$1@smc.vnet.net>
- Sender: owner-wri-mathgroup at wolfram.com
Greg
You might also want to take a look at the functions FindMinimum[],
FindMaximum[], NMinimize[], NMaximize[], Minimize[], Maximize[] and
LinearProgramming[]. They may not be any more powerful than Solve, but
for some tasks (eg Linear Programming) they provide more natural ways of
setting up problems.
Mark
Gregory Lypny wrote:
> Hello Everyone,
>
> I've got a question about the Solve function. I read in the
> Mathematica Book that Solve can handle a set of simultaneous equations
> (page 88) and that the syntax for the function is to list each equation
> followed by the variables to solve for. What if all of the equations
> have the same form, say, because they're constraints in the first-order
> conditions of an optimization? I'm wondering whether Solve can handle
> a neater specification in matrix form, something along the lines of
>
> Solve[f[x]==g[x], x],
>
> where x is a vector of variables {x1, x2, x3, ... , xn}. It would save
> a lot of typing. I've tried to feed solve a variable defined as an
> array, but I keep getting errors to the effect that the equation is not
> well formed.
>
> Greg
>