Re: Preventing Times[x,x] from becoming Power[x,2]
- To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
- Subject: [mg53717] Re: Preventing Times[x,x] from becoming Power[x,2]
- From: Paul Abbott <paul at physics.uwa.edu.au>
- Date: Mon, 24 Jan 2005 03:37:54 -0500 (EST)
- Organization: The University of Western Australia
- References: <csqs3u$1te$1@smc.vnet.net> <csvi83$asl$1@smc.vnet.net>
- Sender: owner-wri-mathgroup at wolfram.com
In article <csvi83$asl$1 at smc.vnet.net>, David Bailey <dave at Remove_Thisdbailey.co.uk> wrote: > Josef Karthauser wrote: > > I was wondering whether anyone knows the answer to this one. > > > > I've got a function, let's call it F[...]. If I enter F[s] F[s] > > into mathematica it "simplifies" the resulting expression, making it > > become Power[F[s],2]. Is there any way to prevent this automatic > > simplification on F[] objects? > > > > Joe > Hi, > > The fact that you don't want that simplification to take place suggests > to me that you do not intend F[s]F[s] to mean ordinary multiplication. > In that case, it would be better to use one of the unassigned operators > (such as \[CircleTimes]) to represent 'not multiplication'. You > obviously will not get spurious simplifications, and you can define the > tru behaviour as you want. Agreed. It is possible to have the implied multiplication interpreted as non-commutative multiplication. One way to do this is to use $Pre to replace Times by any operator that is not, by default, commutative. For example, here the CircleTimes operator is used. $Pre:= Function[x, ReleaseHold[Hold[x]/. Times -> CircleTimes], HoldAll] Note that we have to hold the argument (Hold[x]) and that this pure function needs to be HoldAll so that its argument is not evaluated. Next you need to add appropriate definitions to the (infix) CircleTimes operator. Cheers, Paul -- Paul Abbott Phone: +61 8 6488 2734 School of Physics, M013 Fax: +61 8 6488 1014 The University of Western Australia (CRICOS Provider No 00126G) 35 Stirling Highway Crawley WA 6009 mailto:paul at physics.uwa.edu.au AUSTRALIA http://physics.uwa.edu.au/~paul