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Re: Re: simple set operations

• To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
• Subject: [mg57693] Re: [mg57669] Re: [mg57635] simple set operations
• From: Edward Peschko <esp5 at pge.com>
• Date: Sat, 4 Jun 2005 03:04:39 -0400 (EDT)
• References: <200506030934.FAA28830@smc.vnet.net>
• Sender: owner-wri-mathgroup at wolfram.com

> (1) you need 
> 	lst = CharacterRange["a", "h"];
> 
> I'd suggest looking for it by typing ?*Range*.  Of the choices, pick the
> most obvious.
> 
> (2) depending on what you want to do, any of 
> 	Cases[lst, "a"]
> 	Position[lst, "a"]
> 	MemberQ[lst, "a"]
> 
> Will give you something to work with, although the last might be the "best".
> Any of these pop right out of the documentation.
> 
> This is not C++.  Rather than a "15 minute search", I suggest a longer, more
> detailed examination during which you might learn some Mathematica syntax
> and some simple functions.
> 

But that's the point; I, like probably a lot of other users out there are 
time constrained. They know analogous things (C++, perl, python, etc), but 
don't want to learn mathematica 'from scratch' because they have the time.

That's what a decent cheatsheet (or cheatbook) would do for mathematica; reach
out to a lot of professionals who don't really have the time to sit down and 
learn things from scratch, but need to learn by doing and applying the knowledge
they have to Mathematica. 

A simple, condensed reference guide, something like a "in a nutshell" book 
by O'Reilly would do the trick.

In fact, if anyone wants to write a decent - as yet unwritten - book on
Mathematica, that's what I'd suggest doing; contacting Nancy Abila at
nancya at oreilly.com and suggesting a "Mathematica in a nutshell" book.

She's the business relations person for the online publishing group - I'm 
not sure who her counterpart is on the print side, but she would know.

Anyways, the nutshell series books run from 300-600 pages, and its suitable
for parallel development (usually 4-5 people work on these things) so they don't 
need to take over someone's life, and its nice to be published.

Ed

(ps - I'm not really affiliated with O'Reilly, I'd just like to buy this book
if it ever got written!)

• Follow-Ups:
  • Re: Re: Re: simple set operations
    • From: Murray Eisenberg <murray@math.umass.edu>

• References:
  • Re: simple set operations
    • From: "David Annetts" <davidannetts@aapt.net.au>