Re: PowerExpand
- To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
- Subject: [mg63560] Re: PowerExpand
- From: Jean-Marc Gulliet <jeanmarc.gulliet at gmail.com>
- Date: Thu, 5 Jan 2006 03:12:29 -0500 (EST)
- Organization: The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK
- References: <dpg0ro$pl2$1@smc.vnet.net>
- Sender: owner-wri-mathgroup at wolfram.com
Blimbaum, Jerry CIV NSWC PC wrote: > Just want to make a comment.....Normally PowerExpand is looked upon as a > culprit because for the general case it leads to wrong > results......However, I had an interesting case where I tried > > Siimplify[expr, m>0] ....expr was of 2 basic forms (although really > more complicated then this, but this shows the basic idea) > > .....Sqrt[-m^2 (a^2+b^2)] and Sqrt[m^2 (a^2+b^2)] > > With Simplify Mathematica cranked and cranked and cranked with no > output.....So , in frustration, I tried PowerExpand and a second later > it performed the same operation with surprising ease and the result was > exactly what i was trying to get... > > If I try the basic expressions , then Simplify took m out of the Square > Root sign for the Sqrt[m^2 (a^2+b^2)] but not for Sqrt[-m^2 > (a^2+b^2)] > > > jerry blimbaum > > Hi Jerry, Here what I get on my laptop in a fraction of second: In[1]:= Simplify[Sqrt[m^2*(a^2 + b^2)]] Out[1]= 2 2 2 Sqrt[(a + b ) m ] In[2]:= Simplify[Sqrt[m^2*(a^2 + b^2)], m > 0] Out[2]= 2 2 Sqrt[a + b ] m In[3]:= PowerExpand[Sqrt[m^2*(a^2 + b^2)]] Out[3]= 2 2 Sqrt[a + b ] m In[4]:= Simplify[Sqrt[(-m^2)*(a^2 + b^2)]] Out[4]= 2 2 2 Sqrt[-(a + b ) m ] In[5]:= Simplify[Sqrt[(-m^2)*(a^2 + b^2)], m > 0] Out[5]= 2 2 2 Sqrt[-(a + b ) m ] In[6]:= PowerExpand[Sqrt[(-m^2)*(a^2 + b^2)]] Out[6]= 2 2 I Sqrt[a + b ] m In[7]:= $Version Out[7]= 5.2 for Microsoft Windows (June 20, 2005) Best regards, /J.M.