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Re: Question about exponent shorthand

• To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
• Subject: [mg83831] Re: [mg83803] Question about exponent shorthand
• From: Murray Eisenberg <murray at math.umass.edu>
• Date: Sun, 2 Dec 2007 04:02:35 -0500 (EST)
• Organization: Mathematics & Statistics, Univ. of Mass./Amherst
• References: <200712011038.FAA28030@smc.vnet.net>
• Reply-to: murray at math.umass.edu

That makes sense to me:  I would no more expect to be able to use, say 
12.(34) for "readability" yet standing for 12.34 -- actually, 
Mathematica would interpret the former as a product of 12. with 34 -- 
than I would be able to use 1*^(-5).  The direct, explicit notation for 
a number doesn't allow parenthesis punctuation within in.

But if you don't want to sacrifice the readability of parentheses, you 
could of course use 10^(-5).  Or, better yet, use superscripts on 10 in 
StandardForm input for powers.




Curtis Osterhoudt wrote:
> Hi, all, 
> 
>    I've just got used to using the character shortcut *^ to stand for "times 
> 10 to the power of". As expected, these two expressions work:
>    1*^5   --> 100000
>    1*^-5  --> 1/100000
> 
> But putting parentheses around the exponent (as I'd prefer to do for 
> readability) leads to 
> 
>   Input: 1*^ (-5)
> 
>    Output:  Syntax::sntxb:Expression cannot begin with "1.(-5)".
> 
>                  Syntax::tsntxi:"1.^" is incomplete; more input is needed.
> 
>                  Syntax::sntxi:Incomplete expression; more input is needed.
> 
> 
> This is on
> 
>  In[45]:= $Version
> 
> Out[45]= "6.0 for Linux x86 (32-bit) (June 19, 2007)"
> 
>    
>           Any clues?
> 
>          
> 

-- 
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:
  • Question about exponent shorthand
    • From: Curtis Osterhoudt <cfo@lanl.gov>