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Re: Complex Variables

• To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
• Subject: [mg55430] Re: Complex Variables
• From: Murray Eisenberg <murray at math.umass.edu>
• Date: Wed, 23 Mar 2005 05:34:40 -0500 (EST)
• Organization: Mathematics & Statistics, Univ. of Mass./Amherst
• References: <200503220851.DAA23753@smc.vnet.net>
• Reply-to: murray at math.umass.edu
• Sender: owner-wri-mathgroup at wolfram.com

How is Mathematica supposed to know that you intend x and y to be real??

In such situations, ComplexExpand is usually your friend:

   ComplexExpand[Re[x + I y]]
   ComplexExpand[Im[x + I y]]
   ComplexExpand[Conjugate[x + I y]]

give results x, y, and x - I y, respectively.

And don't forget to use either I or else, for Mathematica's special 
symbol for the complex number, Esc ii Esc (or the equivalent\[Imaginary] 
or Esc jj Esc or \[ImaginaryJ]).

wwolfe18 at comcast.net wrote:
> This has been annoying me for a while.
> Is there a way to declare symbols to be real so that
> Re[x + i y]  gives x and Conjugate[x + i y] gives x - i y etc?

-- 
Murray Eisenberg                     murray at math.umass.edu
Mathematics & Statistics Dept.
Lederle Graduate Research Tower      phone 413 549-1020 (H)
University of Massachusetts                413 545-2859 (W)
710 North Pleasant Street            fax   413 545-1801
Amherst, MA 01003-9305

• References:
  • Complex Variables
    • From: <wwolfe18@comcast.net>