Re: Re: Compile
- To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
- Subject: [mg45519] Re: [mg45511] Re: Compile
- From: Selwyn Hollis <sh2.7183 at misspelled.erthlink.net>
- Date: Sun, 11 Jan 2004 03:20:21 -0500 (EST)
- References: <bto1j0$2ip$1@smc.vnet.net> <200401102143.QAA11555@smc.vnet.net>
- Sender: owner-wri-mathgroup at wolfram.com
I've been following this thread, and I just have one question: If you think Mathematica is such a a piece of crap, why don't you use something else? Life is short. ----- Selwyn Hollis http://www.math.armstrong.edu/faculty/hollis (edit reply-to to reply) On Jan 10, 2004, at 4:43 PM, Maxim wrote: > > > "Simons, F.H." wrote: > >> Maxim Retin produced two examples asking to explain why they behave >> as they do. As Hartmut Wolf already pointed out, the first example is >> completely predictable in the way discussed earlier. So let us turn >> to Maxim's second example: >> >>> -----Original Message----- >>> From: Wolf, Hartmut [mailto:Hartmut.Wolf at t-systems.com] To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net > To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net >>> Sent: woensdag 7 januari 2004 23:31 >>> To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net >>> Subject: [mg45519] [mg45511] Re: Compile >>> >> ...... >>> Your new example shows up other "interesting things" (to those who >>> are >>> interested of course). >>> >>> In[27]:= >>> y := (Print[x]; x + If[NumericQ[x], 1, 0]); >>> Trace[Plot[y, {x, 0, 1}, Compiled -> True, AspectRatio -> Automatic, >>> PlotPoints -> 3], x | y, TraceInternal -> True] // InputForm >>>> From In[27]:= x >>>> From In[27]:= x >>>> From In[27]:= 5.*^-7 >>>> From In[27]:= 0.486804 >>>> From In[27]:= 1. >> >> .......... >>> What is new, are obviously two (additional) evaluations of y >>> when x has no >>> value, before doing the plot. What comes to my phantasy is a >>> compilator in >>> desperate search of the variable x to become bound, detecting >>> it when an >>> exterior variable becomes evaluated, and now binding it (as >>> in contrary of >>> above) in a function call. (y however is not evaluated within >>> the compiled >>> expression.) >>> >>> >> Here my phantasy went into a different direction. >> >> To start with, let us simplify Maxim's example. >> >> y:= Sin[x] >> Plot[y, {x, 0, 3}] >> >> indeed produces a plot of the sine function, as expected(?!). But a >> further reflection shows that this is not obvious. The option >> Compiled is True, so Mathematica starts with compiling y as a >> function of x. The compiled result contains the symbol y. Then, since >> Compiled is set to True, the numerical values are substituted (not >> assigned) into the compiled function and therefore have no effect on >> the symbol y. This symbol now evaluates to Sin[x] which is not >> numerical and therefore the graph cannot be plotted. However, we do >> see the graph of the sine, so my explanation along the lin > es of my previous message seems to be incorrect. That is what Maxim's > example suggests. >> >> To see what is going on, have a look at the following commands: >> >> Clear[y]; >> fc = Compile[{{x, _Real}}, y]; >> >> y:= (Print[x]; Sin[x]); >> fc[0.3] >> >> First the symbol x is printed, then an error message that the symbol >> Sin[x] is not numerical, then the message that the uncompiled code >> will be used, which results in another evaluation of y and therefore >> the printing of x, and the outcome Sin[x]. >> >> Now let us look at the Plot command: >> >> y := (Print[x];Sin[x]); >> Plot[y, {x, 0, 3}] >> >> What happens? First Mathematica compiles y as a function of x. Then >> evaluations starts by substituting (not assigning) a numerical value >> of x in the compiled function. Then y is evaluated and x is printed, >> the evaluation of the compiled function fails so the uncompiled code >> will be used, resulting in another printing of x and a non-numerical >> value of the function AND NOW MATHEMATICA SIMPLY SWITCHES TO THE >> UNCOMPILED MODE and makes the plot as if the option Compiled was set >> to False. Therefore the result of the plot command is what was hoped >> that the result would be. Obviously this > is not a rigid mathematical proof that is happening, but it explains > what is going on, including Maxim's examples. >> >> Two of Maxim's examples now are particularly illustrative: >> >> y := If[NumericQ[x], 1, 0] >> Plot[y, {x,0,1}] >> >> Evaluation of the compiled argument results in 0, so the result is >> the horizontal axis. >> >> y := x+ If[NumericQ[x], 1, 0] >> Plot[y, {x,0,1}] >> >> Evaluation of the compiled argument results in x, which is not >> numerical. So the plotting switches to Compiled->False, and x+1 is >> plotted. >> >> Fred Simons >> Eindhoven University of Technology > > If we use Trace, we can see that Mathematica evaluates a > CompiledFunction for several values of x: > > Trace[ > Module[ > {y := x + If[NumericQ[x], 1, 0]}, > Plot[y, {x, 0, 1}, Compiled -> True, > PlotPoints -> 3, PlotDivision -> 1] > ], > TraceInternal -> True, TraceOff -> Show > ] > > So it cannot be equivalent to using Compiled->False. In fact, the > situation is the opposite of what you describe: CompiledFunction > appears in the second example (shown above), but not in the first one > (with y := If[NumericQ[x], 1, 0]). > > How does this CompiledFunction give a numeric result then? You forget > that Plot works like Block, so effectively we have a CompiledFunction > inside of a Block: > > In[1]:= > Module[ > {y := x, cf}, > cf = Compile[{x}, y]; > Block[{x = 1}, > cf[2] > ]] > > Out[1]= > 1. > > The argument of CompiledFunction isn't plugged in anywhere, but x is > evaluated in the context set up by Block. Actually this was already > explained by Hartmut Wolf. > > Besides, what is "evaluation of the compiled argument"? Without > assigning any value to the iterator variable? Then, according to your > theory, when Mathematica needs to execute Plot[x,{x,0,1}] it evaluates > the expression to be plotted, which evaluates to x, which isn't > numerical, so Mathematica switches to Compiled->False. Evidently, it > doesn't work that way. > > At the very least, please get my name right the next time... > > Maxim Rytin > m.r at prontomail.com > > >
- References:
- Re: Compile
- From: Maxim <dontsendhere@.>
- Re: Compile