[Date Index] [Thread Index] [Author Index]

Primed Variables in Mathematica

• To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
• Subject: [mg50652] Primed Variables in Mathematica
• From: "David Park" <djmp at earthlink.net>
• Date: Wed, 15 Sep 2004 01:50:29 -0400 (EDT)
• Sender: owner-wri-mathgroup at wolfram.com

Primed variables are in such common use in textbooks and papers that I don't understand why Mathematica doesn't allow them.

Of course, x' represents a derivative, but there is a prime character that can be obtained by esc ' esc or by \[Prime]. 

x\[Prime] // Head
Symbol

But the problem is that the \[Prime] character is not raised but sits at the same level as x. It would be much better if the \[Prime] character were raised to the normal level to give better looking expressions. I admit that there could be some visual confusion, but not Mathematica confusion, with derivatives, but it would usually be clear from context.

I wish that WRI would fix the Prime, DoublePrime, ReversePrime and ReverseDoublePrime characters so they displayed at the correct vertical level in expressions.

David Park
djmp at earthlink.net
http://home.earthlink.net/~djmp/ 

• Follow-Ups:
  • Re: Primed Variables in Mathematica
    • From: Murray Eisenberg <murray@math.umass.edu>