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Re: Readability confuses mathematica?

• To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
• Subject: [mg44512] Re: Readability confuses mathematica?
• From: "David W. Cantrell" <DWCantrell at sigmaxi.org>
• Date: Thu, 13 Nov 2003 02:27:04 -0500 (EST)
• References: <botcm2$ci7$1@smc.vnet.net>
• Sender: owner-wri-mathgroup at wolfram.com

patrick.m.lahey at aero.org (patrick_m_lahey) wrote:
> I am new to mathematica so perhaps there is a simple answer to this
>
> Consider:
>
> In[1]:= D[x-x0,x]
>
> except that x0 is really x ctrl-- 0 (x subscript 0).  Normally that
> would be a completely independent variable from x but not according to
> mathematica!
>
> Out[1]=1-Subscript(1,0)[x,0]
>
> (the (1,0) is a superscript of Subscript).
>
> One of the things that attracted me to mathematica was the ability to
> work with expressions that closely mirrored the true expressions of
> interest (a readability issue really...).
>
> Is there anything that can be done here?

Considering that Subscript[x,0] appears to involve x itself, I suggest
that you use _literally_ D[x-x0,x] or D[x-x_0,x], either of which gives
just 1, as desired.

David